Number One
by AOYMUS123
Summary: Everything changed after Hermione found out about that damn list. "Hogwarts's Best Males in Bed". She couldn't believe her best friend's older brother was Number One, they'd grown up together for merlin's sake. She would have never guessed, who knew Fred Weasley was actually very attractive? Humour/Romance, Drama in future chapters. Hermione/Fred, Harry/Ginny. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione sighed as she entered the common room, huffing and puffing her cheeks in anger

 _Stupid Ron with his stupid face and his stupid comments._

She had been eating breakfast with her two best friends before their quidditch practice, Ron was practically beaming about making it in the team and Harry couldn't have been happier for him. Hermione was very happy for him too, of course, except his comments made her feel slightly disgusted towards her childhood friend.

* * *

 _"You reckon girls are gonna start noticing me now? All the girls used to be crazy for Wood." Said Ron, stabbing two sausages with his fork and shoving them in his mouth._

 _"Well, not many girls noticed me." Said Harry before drinking his pumpkin juice, sneaking a sly glance at the red headed girl sitting a couple of meters away from him._

 _"You're the chosen one, Harry, I'm sure you don't need any more attention." Mumbled Ron, "Maybe the Patil twins will finally get over the Yule ball, or perhaps I can score some Hufflepuffs. I heard they're very enthusiastic about things, if you know what I mean."_

 _Hermione sighed, "Honestly Ron, I don't think the Padma will ever forgive you for ruining her ball. And yes, we do know what you mean, and it's very rude for you to be spreading saying like that."_

 _"No need to be such a sourpuss Hermione," said Ron, his cheeks slightly tinged red, "and I didn't ruin the ball for her, or anyone for that matter."_

 _"You sure did for me." She mumbled as she spread jam on her toast, rolling her eyes._

 _"Are you still going on about that? You were clearly fraternizing with the enemy! Why else do you think he asked you? It was a power move to get closer to Harry!"_

 _"Honestly Ron, when will you grow up?" Exclaimed Hermione, standing up and getting ready to walk away._

 _"Sheesh, what's got her knickers in a twist?" She heard Ron say to Harry before hearing a quick "Shut up" coming from the boy with glasses._

* * *

Hermione sat down on the couch, rubbing her eyes and leaning her head back. Ron would always know how to push her buttons and stress her out.

Once she had calmed down, she heard none other than Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil come into the common room, both giggling and running up to the bedroom.

Hermione rolled her eyes, she never understood how those two could always be giggling and running around everywhere while there were much more important things to do. A few minutes later, she saw Ginny walk in and offered her a smile when she sat down next to her.

"Has Ron gotten you riled up again?" Asked Ginny, crossing her legs.

"I know he's your brother, but he´s just an idiot sometimes." Said Hermione, making Ginny laugh.

"Do you wanna go upstairs and talk about it? The guys are finishing quidditch practice soon and might walk in any minute." Said Ginny and Hermione nodded.

As they walked to their dormitory, Ginny caught Hermione up on what had happened to her in the morning. Something about not being in the mood to see her older brothers, Fred and George, because of a cruel prank they've pulled on her. _Ginny never skipped quidditch practice, so this prank must've really bothered her,_ thought Hermione.

They both sat on Hermione´s bed, talking about what had happened at breakfast.

"He really is an idiot sometimes." Sighed Ginny.

They both sat in silence for a couple of minutes, the only noise in the room was the constant whispering and giggling the two girls were making across the room.

"What are you two so giggly about?" Asked Ginny, getting annoyed at them.

"Oh, I don´t think you want to know." Giggled Lavender, annoying Ginny even more.

"Spit it out."

"Well, there´s a rumour that in the second stall from the wall in the girls´s bathroom in the second floor has a list of the best guys in bed." Said Parvati.

"That´s just a rumour though, even I went to look and it wasn´t there." Added Ginny.

"You see, that´s where everyone made the mistake. You need to cast the right spell since it´s meant to be hidden." Said Lavender.

"Revelio?" Asked Hermione and the two girls nodded

"So, who was on this list then?" Asked Ginny, getting impatient.

The two girls looked at each other and giggled, "Well, the list has clearly been there for years since there´s many people on in that already graduated. I don´t remember all of them, but I do remember the top 10 or so.", said Lavender.

"I wrote them down, here." Said Parvati before handing them a piece of parchment paper.

Ginny took it and brought it over to Hermione so they could both see.

 _10\. Oliver Wood_

 _9\. Zacharias Smith_

 _8\. Cedric Diggory_

 _7\. Terry Boot_

 _6\. Lee Thomas_

 _5\. Charlie Weasley_

 _4\. George Weasley_

"Ew!" Grimaced Ginny, not wanting to know anything about her older brothers's sex lives.

 _3\. Blaise Zabini_

 _2\. Draco Malfoy_

"Oh Merlin, I think I´m gonna be sick." Said Ginny as the read the last one, covering her eyes and groaning.

Hermione couldn´t believe what she read, she had known all these people for quite some time but couldn´t imagine them engaging in any type of sexual behavior.

She felt her cheeks get warm as her eyes skimmed through the last name.

 _1\. Fred Weasley_

* * *

 **Thank you to the people that reviewed which let me know that the formatting was wrong! I've fixed it now and hope you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

"I heard that Malfoy is the best at oral." Whispered Lavender

"He has to be good at something with that snake tongue." Said Ginny, giggling with the three girls

To say that Hermione was uncomfortable would be the understatement of the year. She didn't know how Ginny wasn't completely shocked by the fact that her three older brothers had had sex with enough girls to make it into a ranking in a public list.

"Sorry to bring this up again Ginny, but are Fred and George single?" Asked Parvati.

"I´m not quite sure, they never talk about these things with me, or any of my brothers. They normally keep those things between themselves, that way only they know their secrets. Quite smart really." Said Ginny, picking at the dirt under her nails.

"I heard the older girls talking last night; Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. They wouldn´t shut up about the twins." Commented Lavender.

At this point, Hermione was lying in bed as the girls talked, not joining in the conversation and trying to keep her ears to herself.

"Well, I do know Fred has been seen sneaking around with Angelina. He did take her to the Yule ball, but I haven´t heard anything about George seeing any of the girls." Added Ginny, stretching her body on the floor.

"I´m sure they've both been with all three girls. They couldn´t stop talking about their fingers."

"Lavender! They´re my brothers, have some decency to not say that around me please!" Groaned Ginny, making all the girls laugh.

"Sorry! One last comment, I also heard that one of them is definitely gifted in size." Added Parvati, making the red head complain again.

Hermione couldn´t help but blush at the last comment, she never thought she´d think of the twins in any other way than brothers.

"I think the boys are back from quidditch, let´s go knock some sense into my idiot brother." Said Ginny before dragging Hermione away.

The whole Gryffindor team walked into the common room, all of them sweaty and some muddy.

"Ron, you are such an idiot sometimes. If you think girls didn´t notice you before, they sure won´t notice you now with that attitude of yours." Exclaimed Ginny, causing Ron to argue with her.

Harry and Hermione knew better than to step into their arguments, they rather let them yell at each other and wear each other out rather than have them both yell at them.

"How was practice?" Asked Hermione as she sat on the red couch with Harry

"Definitely harder than last time. The twins wouldn´t stop fooling around so we had a couple of accidents, but no one was hurt." Said Harry.

 _That explains the mud,_ thought Hermione.

Harry began saying something but Hermione´s eyes caught red hair walking into the room.

The infamous Weasley Twins walked in, both laughing about something they did at practice. Hermione had never noticed how good looking they both were, and how they weren´t the tall, lanky boys she met back in first year. Now, both of them had gone through puberty and the two year age gap Hermione had with them made them seem more intimidating, as if she were looking at two teenage boys she'd never talked to.

She continued to stare at them as they walked through the room and made their way to their dormitory. However, right before they reached the stairs, Hermione saw Fred slow down as he walked past Angelina. She smiled coyly at him as he let his eyes run down her body. He brought his thumb up to his lips, swiping his lower one and winking at her. Hermione blushed at the sight and quickly looked away. She had never witnessed anything like that from Fred, and it made her feel hot and her palms sweat.

"You alright, Mione?" Asked Harry, worried for his best friend´s sudden behavior.

"Sorry, yeah. Just got a bit hot, summer has been a pain lately." She said and he nodded.

"It´s been definitely hotter these days… Anyways, do you want to come?" Asked Harry

"Sorry, go where?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "To the thing tonight? I just told you about it, Hermione."

"Oh. Right! Right, yes the thing tonight. The thing which is…" She said

"The Hufflepuffs are throwing a party. Well, more like a get together." Explained Harry once more.

"Tonight? I´m not sure Harry… Not only is it completely against the rules, but I´ve got a lot of homework to do."

"Hermione, we both know you've already done the homework for the next week. You can do the following week's homework for when it's actually due." Said Harry and Hermione sighed, he was right.

"Still Harry, it's not my scene anyway. But you go and I'll wait up for you. You can tell me all about it." Smiled Hermione and Harry smiled back at her.

He had always known Hermione wasn't very comfortable with sneaking around the castle, unless it involved Sirius Black or Voldemort.

Everyone went to go get ready for tonight while Hermione sat on her bed. She had looked forward to a night alone in the common room, she could take a nice hot shower and read her books by the fireplace instead on her bed.

"I still don't understand why you can't just come tonight." Groaned Ginny as she dropped down to her own bed and crossed her arms behind her head.

"Well, everyone knows it's not my scene. Plus, I've got some reading waiting for me tonight." Said Hermione, making her best friend chuckle at her.

"Oh how exciting, books." Teased Ginny, "What am I going to do without you? I think Parvati and Lavender are hoping I help them make moves on my own brothers."

Hermione giggled.

"I don't know how you're so relaxed about this list. They're your brothers! And some are people we're known our whole lives!" Said Hermione, blushing slightly when she remembered the names that were on the list.

Ginny shrugged, "Everyone has sex at one point, right? I mean, even you've done it and you're not one to talk about sex normally."

Hermione face went even redder when she remembered the one night she shared with Victor Krum when she saw him over the holidays after the TriWizard Tournament. She held that night dearly in her memories for it was one of the night where she had felt the most comfortable in her own body.

"Still, they're your brothers. And the girls mentioned all those things about... you know." Whispered Hermione.

"Foreplay? Yeah, well in some weird way, I'd rather know they're doing foreplay for the girls rather than going in with no foreplay." Said Ginny and, in some very uncomfortable way, Hermione could see her point.

Their conversation was interrupted when they both heard voices calling for Ginny and made their way down to the common room.

Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were waiting for Ginny as they leaned against the couch.

"Decided to join us have you?" Said Fred and George at the same time, making Hermione smile at them.

"Not tonight, I've got a lovely book waiting for me."

"You'll wait up?" Asked Harry and she nodded.

"Well, see you later then Granger." Said Fred.

She could always tell the twins apart, even when they tried to trick her. It was something she could just see.

Fred waved at her as they all snuck out.

 _Merlin_ , Hermione thought with a flushed face, _have Fred´s fingers always been so long?_


	3. Chapter 3

As Hermione had promised, she stayed up for Harry to come back from the Hufflepuff common room safely.

 _None of them took the invisibility cloak,_ thought Hermione as she worried over her friends.

Just as she was about to dig up Harry's map of Hogwarts, she heard some hushed voices make their way into the red common room.

"Hey Hermione!" Said Harry cheerily as he walked in with the group he left with.

Ron was slightly flushed and Ginny looked annoyed while the twins were very quiet.

"Did you guys have fun?" She asked as she sat up from the couch and walked over to them.

"Well, Ron had a bit too much butter beer and damn girls annoyed me all night, but other than that it was fine. You didn´t miss out on much." Said Ginny, sighing at her brother who was giggling to himself.

Harry sent Ron off to bed while Ginny went to go change out of her day outfit and into her cozy pajamas.

"I think we´re off too then. Night Harry, Hermione." Said George as he smiled warmly at them.

Hermione smiled back at the twins but noticed that Fred was not smiling like his twin was, instead he wore a small frown on his face.

The minute they left, Hermione looked at Harry with a puzzled look.

"Let´s wait for Ginny to come back and we´ll fill you in." Said Harry.

They both sat in front of the fireplace, chatting about quidditch practice and homework due the following week until Ginny crawled over to them and joined them.

"So what happened? Ron seemed to be happy, but Fred seemed quite off." Asked Hermione, not wanting to seem like she was asking about the red head´s older brother.

"Well, when we arrived it was fun. Very fun actually." Started Harry and Ginny agreed.

They told her about all the drinks and snacks Hufflepuff managed to sneak into their dorms and about all the games they played, including truth or dare and seven minutes in heaven. Ginny gushed about the teenage muggle games Seamus had introduced to them and giggled at certain points of the night.

"But then, Angelina came over to Fred to, you know... sneak off somewhere." Said Harry and Hermione blushed.

She had somehow forgotten about the list but was once again reminded.

"She was all over him Hermione, you should´ve seen it. I´ve never seen Fred so uncomfortable." Added Ginny.

"Uncomfortable? I thought they were a thing?", asked Hermione, "Maybe he didn't like her approaching him in public?"

"We all thought they were a thing, but the minute Angelina started grabbing him away, Fred began to tell her off", Answered Ginny, "Said that he didn't want to be with her and that she should know when she's making people uncomfortable instead of trying the push herself on to them even more."

Hermione was surprised, she had never once witnessed Fred turn down a girl. Not to call him a player or anything, but whenever girls would come on to him, he'd playfully flirt back in a harmless way or turn them down nicely.

"Angelina was so embarrassed, she pushed him and walked away. When we left, she was glaring at all of us, probably blaming us for Fred's rejection." Continued Ginny.

"Did you ask him why he said no to her?" Asked Hermione, still not understanding why Fred would reject Angelina. Any guy would be crazy to, she was very attractive and sporty, definitely a good player in the quidditch team

"We tried to, but he simply ignored us or changed the subject." Sighed Ginny, annoyed that she couldn't get more information.

"When we left, Katie said some nasty things to Fred. Good on her for defending her friend, but she did say some pretty mean stuff... I'm surprised Fred didn't say anything back, he just smiled at her and left." Added Harry.

The three teens chatted some more before calling it a night, all of them exhausted.

* * *

"I'm never drinking again." Mumbled Ron as he sipped on some pumpkin juice and chewed some toast.

"No sausages today? You must really be hungover eh?" Commented Seamus.

"It´s all because of your stupid muggle games." Retorted Ron with a frown.

Seamus laughed at him.

"Muggle games are the best, ain't they Hermione? My favourite's never have I ever." He said and Hermione laughed.

"Of course that's your favourite." She said as she rolled her eyes at her friend.

"What's never have I ever?" Asked Ginny.

"Well, you sit with a group of people and you go around saying things you've never done. If someone has done it, they need to drink." Said Harry and Ron gagged at the thought of drinking alcohol, making the group laugh.

They all settled down as two tall red heads joined them

"What are you all talking about?" Asked George as he took a seat next to Hermione.

"Never have I ever." Answered Harry and explained what the game was.

"Oh, sounds fun! Want to play, Hermione?" Asked George as he winked and nudged her with his elbow.

She smiled at him as she shook her head at his comment, _silly boys._

Breakfast went by pretty fast after that, the group was quiet as they ate. A couple of snide comments from girls were thrown at Fred, who sat next to George, but they were all ignored.

"Say, Fred, why did you reject her?" Asked Ginny, finally asking what the whole group didn't have the guts to ask.

"Say, Ginny, why don't you mind your own business?" Retorted Fred with a cheeky grin on his lips.

"At least you've got your good mood back." Mumbled Ron as he rested his face in his hands.

"I'm always in a good mood." Stated Fred, stabbing a sausage with his fork.

"Cheery chap he is." Added George, stabbing a sausage as well.

Hermione stared at them as they both shoved their food in their mouth at the same time.

 _How could they be this silly and still be considered in the top 10 of Hogwarts,_ wondered Hermione.

The twins could feel the bushy haired witch's eyes on them and they both turned to face her, winking at her at the same time.

"Lost in thought?" Started Fred

"Are you my dear?" Ended George

She looked at their grinning faces and though, _nevermind, that's why._

"She's just confused as to why you're both in the top 10." Answered Ginny.

Hermione turned to face her with wide eyes.

 _What the hell Ginny?,_ She thought, embarrassed that the list was publicly being brought up once more.

"Oh! You know about that?" Laughed both of the twins, giving each other a high five.

"Top 10 of what?" Asked Ron, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"Well, top 10 Hogwarts wizards in bed my dear Ronnie." Answered Fred with a satisfied smirk on his face as he showed off his rank.

Hermione wasn't sure if it was something to brag about, but she shrugged it off.

"Top 10 what? There's no such list, is there?" Asked Harry, his face slightly flushed as he faced Hermione for an answer.

"Well... There's one in the girls bathroom." Said Hermione quietly, not really wanting to talk about the twins's sex life while having breakfast, or at all really.

"And you're in the top 10? Bollocks." Said Ron, frowning.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder if Ron was slightly jealous of the twins, but wasn't really sure of it.

"Not top 10, we're in the top 5. Charlie's included." Said George, making Ron frown even more.

Harry stared at his plate, both of his cheeks red. Hermione felt bad for him. Of course he didn't want to talk about the sex other people were having in front of the only girl he'd ever want to have sex with.

Ginny rolled her eyes, not knowing that Harry was sneaking glances at her to see how she was reacting to the whole conversation.

"Not sure if that's something you want to brag about, George. To get into a list where all girls vote, you two must have gone through a fair share of girls." Stated Ginny. Hermione nodded at this.

"We're not embarrassed of our after hours activities." Said George.

"Nor our school hours activities." Said Fred.

"You two really know how to put off a girl." Said Ginny, pushing her plate of scrambled eggs away.

The two boys laughed loudly.

"Have you seen who else was on the list?" Asked George at the two girls and they both nodded.

"Who would've thought Wood could get wood for something that wasn't wood, am I right?" Said George as he nudged his twin with her elbow, laughing.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at this, shaking her head with Ginny at the younger twin's lame joke.

"Hold on, who else is on this list?" Asked Ron, his ears turning red.

"Malfoy's in second place with Zabini in third. Then there's George and Charlie." Answered Hermione, remembering the names on the parchment Parvati had shown her.

"Very attentive Granger, 10 points to Gryffindor." Said Fred, getting eye rolls from both girls.

"Then it's Lee, Terry Boot, Cedric, and Zacharias Smith if I'm not wrong. And Wood is in tenth place." Continued Ginny.

Ron furrowed his eyebrows.

"Wait, where does that leave Fred then? Don't tell me only George is in the top 10 and you included yourself in the list because you're twins." Said Ron as he narrowed his eyes at the older twin as a mocking smile rested on his lips. Hermione sighed, she knew Ron knew better than to taunt his older brothers but he couldn't help it.

 _He's definitely jealous_ , she though as she rolled her eyes at the tone of her friend's voice.

Fred's eyes turned dark, something that would've been barely noticeable if Hermione hadn't been sneaking glances at him all morning. His overall atmosphere changed, he was now intimidating. She saw the corner of his lips turn up into a mischievous smile, one she recognized far too well from all the dinner table arguments the brothers had whenever Hermione would stay at the Burrow.

"I, _little Ronnie,_ am number one." Said Fred, his voice sounded lower than it actually was as he taunted his younger brother.

Hermione could feel the hairs on her arms stand as she got goosebumps. She had never heard Fred's voice change so much. He went from a loud and happy tone to a dark and mysterious one. She didn't understand why she could feel her heart in her throat or why she couldn't catch her breath.

She was trying to get her breathing under control when she caught George's stare at the corner of her eye.

She turned to face his slowly but noticed that his eyes were trailing the goosebumps on her arms as a smile made its way on his lips. His eyes raised to meet hers and he winked before facing away from her.

 _Shit! Had he_ noticed?, thought Hermione as she panicked slightly.

Hermione got up abruptly, ignoring the angry comments from Ron as he argued with his brother.

"Hermione? Where are you going?" Asked Harry, finally speaking up after being quiet during the uncomfortable conversation.

"I-I'm going to the library, have some homework to do." She said, smiling shyly at him as he nodded and waved her goodbye.

* * *

Hermione did really have some homework to do, it just wasn't due for another two weeks.

She remained hidden in a quiet corner of the library, her hair tied up to control her wild curls and her books sprawled all over the table to hint that she really didn't want anyone sitting next to her.

Sighing, she closed her potions book after she memorized the ingredients for a Draught of Peace potion.

Her head was pounding slightly, something it tend to do when Hermione began to study too much too fast. She rubbed her eyes and began to pack up her books, deciding to come back later once she felt better so she could actually retain the information.

She didn't notice when a tall boy sat on the corner of the table, looking at her expecting to be noticed. However, after a couple of minutes of witnessing Hermione fussing about putting the right books back in the shelves, he decided to clear his throat.

"Merlin!" Gasped Hermione as she jumped slightly, not expecting anyone to be near her.

She turned around and saw the familiar mop of red hair and smirking face.

"George, what are you doing here?" Asked Hermione.

After the years, Fred and George had gotten used to Hermione being able to tell them apart. They were no longer surprised to be called their actual names, and they no longer wore a shocked expression.

"Just wanted to have a chat." He answered as he pulled out a chair and gestured Hermione to sit down.

Hermione sat slowly, aware of her surroundings.

 _Had he set up another prank?_ , she thought as she looked around.

"Relax Granger, we're already been banned from doing pranks in the library. We've messed with Madam Pince one too many times and were, and I quote, _banned from doing anything apart from studying while in the library until the end of time_." Said George and Hermione let out a relieved sigh.

"Right, well what's this about then? Do you need help with studying?" Asked Hermione.

"Study-what? Hermione I'm two years ahead of you." Said George, furrowing his brows.

Hermione shrugged at this, and George breathed out a laugh, knowing that the young witch probably knew more than him.

"Then, what's up?" Asked Hermione, curious as to why the twin would ever step foot in the library.

George smirked at her and Hermione's stomach flipped as she had a sinking feeling but didn't know why.

Her heart stopped as the words left his mouth and her palmed began to sweat.

"So, got a little crush on Fred have we?"

 _Shit._


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione didn't know what to say. Part of her wanted to burst out crying of embarrassment, another part wanted to burst out laughing, and another part wanted to run out and never have to deal with boys again.

"Me? Have a crush on Fred?" Asked Hermione, noticing how stupid it sounded.

 _Sure, I've been noticing Fred more and I admit that he's attractive,_ she thought, _but it's only because that damn list!_

"Go on Granger, tell Big Brother George all about it." He said while smirking.

"Big brother George?" Asked Hermione, confused at the nick name which had never been used before.

"I didn't know how you'd react to Big Daddy." He stated and winked at the witch, making her laugh.

"Please, don't ever call yourself that." She said and he chuckled.

"So, Fred?" Pushed George, trying to get an answer out of her.

Hermione sighed and sank back into the chair.

"George, I don't know why you think I would ever have a crush on your brother." Stated Hermione with a straight face as George examined her.

"Then what was that whole thing this morning?" Asked George

"What thing?"

"You know, where you were choking on the air alone and then got all nervous." Said George, causing Hermione's eye to widen in embarrassment.

He made it sound way worse than it actually was.

"That was just a reaction, that's all." She said as she cleared her throat.

"A reaction of a crush."

"What? No." She shook her head while George nodded.

"George, the only reason that happened was because... Well, quite frankly, the fact that you and your brother are _boys_ hasn't really settled in my brain until now." She confessed

"Are you trying to tell me that up until now you thought Fred and I weren't boys?" Asked George, confused.

Hermione laughed at this.

"No George", she started, "I'm saying that up until now, I never thought of you as, you know, _boys_ and never imagined you doing things with other girls as you would eventually grow up to do. I just thought of you as brothers, and for obvious reasons I would never think about you two having your own sex lives at all."

"So you don't have a crush on Fred?" Asked George with furrowed eyebrows and received a nod from Hermione. "You were just shocked that we have sex with girls?"

"Not shocked or anything, more like deeply disturbed." She added, making him chuckle.

"Well then, sorry for reading into it Granger."

* * *

Hermione didn't mind Mondays. She knew never to say this out loud in front of her friends, who were currently yawning at the breakfast table and grumbling to themselves. Hermione had grown to like Mondays; breakfast is never too full or loud due to the amount of students accidentally sleeping in, Malfoy is usually too tired to make any snide comments about her family or Harry, and she would always have her studies down for the week.

"Mione, do you think we could study together today? I haven't quite got the potions assignment done." Asked Harry as he rubbed his eyes and stretched his neck.

"Of course, Harry. What about you, Ron?" She asked as she spread jam on a piece of toast.

"We had a potions assignment?" Asked Ron, not bothering to wait until he had swallowed the food in his mouth to talk.

Hermione's nose scrunched up as she saw him talk with a mouth full of food, no matter how many times she would have a meal with him, she was not used to his tableside manners, or lack thereof.

"We can work on the assignment before lunch?" Asked Harry, focusing his attention of Hermione.

She nodded and smiled at him as she finished her toast and wiped the crumbs off her fingers.

"I'll see you before lunch." She said before walking off to the Gryffindor common room.

Another reason why she loved Mondays was the fact that she normally only had one class, and it was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Hey." She heard a femenine voice behind turned around to find Angelina Johnson, still in her pajamas.

"Oh, hi Angelina. Did you sleep in?" Asked Hermione as she sat down on the red couch.

Angelina joined her.

"Yeah, been trying to juggle quidditch and assignments. It's not really working out." Sighed the girl, rubbing her temples.

"Sounds really stressful. Maybe you could ask Professor McGonagall for extra time on certain assignments." Suggested Hermione, not wanted to see the older girl fail in her studies for following her quidditch dreams.

"I should, thanks Hermione." Smiled Angelina.

Hermione smiled back at her.

Angelina Johnson was definitely one of Hermione's favourite senior students in Gryffindor. She was always very kind and warm to her, even when she had no reason to be. And she always gave Hermione advice in first year, back when she didn't know how to communicate with Harry and Ron.

As Hermione watched Angelina retreat back into her dorm to get dressed for the day, she was reminded about the fact that Fred had turned the girl down.

She did not understand why, as in her mind Angelina was possibly the perfect girl for him. She was funny, laid back, loved sports, and could easily be _one of the boys_ while still asserting her femininity. And the plus that Angelina was a very good looking girl, or at least she was to Hermione.

* * *

Hermione decided to spend the rest of her morning sitting on the grass outside the quidditch stadium. She packed her bag with one of her muggle books, _The Great Gatsby_ , and her water bottle.

As she walked through the outside of the castle, she could feel the suns rays burning the tops of her cheeks. She mentally patted herself on the back for putting sun screen on before she left, her mother would be proud.

She found a nice spot under a big tree which gave her a nice amount of shade so she could read in peace without sweating like a pig. Finally, she opened her book and leaned back on the tree.

Her reading plans, however, were interrupted by loud boyish laughter.

Hermione closed her eyes as she sighed, _why can't I just get some peace and quiet?_ , she thought.

"Hey 'Mione." She heard a very familiar voice say as footsteps came closer to her.

"Shouldn't you be in Herbology, Seamus?" Asked Hermione when she opened her eyes, putting her book back in her bag as she knew she wouldn't get any reading done.

"The lads n' I didn't really feel like going. Such a nice day, y'know?" He said as he sat down near her, running his fingers through the green grass.

"The lads? Who else skipped class?" Asked Hermione, crossing her legs as she picked at her book bag.

As if on cue, she heard the deep voices and laughter come closer to her. From afar, she could see it was Neville, Dean, and two red heads.

"Neville? How on earth did they get you to leave class?" Asked Hermione as she smiled at her friend, amused at his rebellious act.

"Well, I didn't want to! I swear, Hermione. But the lads did make a good point, it's a really nice day." Said Neville, feeling slightly guilty for not showing up to his favourite class.

Hermione chuckled at him. She was actually happy that Neville had let loose, as long as he didn't make a habit out of it.

"What about you two? What are you missing?" Asked Hermione at the two tall red heads who now sat in front of her, basking in the sun like two orange tabby cats.

"We're on study hours." Answered one, Hermione knew it was George.

"What about you? Where are Harry and Ron?" Asked Dean softly as he sat next to Seamus, playfully throwing little pieces of grass at him.

"They're in class, not quite sure which ones though. We're going to work on the potions assignment before lunch, just in case you'd like to join." Answered Hermione, smiling at the gentle tan boy in front of her.

Hermione had always though of Dean as such a handsome and kind boy. From the outside, he could look hard and mysterious, but he really was one of the softest boys she'd ever known. From Hermione's perspective, he may have been just a little too soft to attempt to date her best friend, but she was definitely surprised at how long they managed to last.

The group of teenagers fell silent, all of them enjoying the sun in different ways.

Neville was counting the small dandelions which grew on the side of the trees, Seamus and Dean were making silly faces at each other while they put grass mustaches on, George was quietly napping under the strong rays which Hermione knew he would regret after, especially after his skin started to turn slightly flushed.

As Hermione observed each of them her eyes finally reached the 2nd red headed boy sitting in front of her with his legs crossed as he leaned back on his elbows, letting the sun hit his slightly freckled face.

His eyes were closed and his lips were slightly upturned. His chest would slowly rise and fall, following his slow breathing. The top three buttons of his shirt were undone, allowing his pale milky skin to be exposed.

Hermione's breathing picked up as she gulped the saliva that was accumulating in her mouth.

 _When did Fred get so damn_ beautiful?


	5. Chapter 5

Their time in the sun had quickly passed as they all dozed off, and before Hermione knew it, it was time to meet with Harry and Ron.

Neville had decided to join in on their study group; he would need all the help he could get, especially with Snape always being on his case.

The rest of the boys had decided to stay under the tree, knowing they were probably not going to attend any class today.

As she was walking away from them, part of her was screaming at her to stay, mostly because her eyes hadn't gotten enough of a certain Weasley twin.

* * *

 _"Are you sure you have to leave Hermione? Seamus was thinking about sneaking a couple of snacks out and have a picnic out here." Asked Dean as Hermione played with her water bottle._

 _"I'd stay, but I already promised Harry and Ron that I'd help them. Are you sure you don't need any help? You can never be too sure of an assignment when it comes to Professor Snape." Asked Hermione, causing Dean to laugh._

 _"I think I'll be okay. Maybe if you guys finish early, you could come back and join us." He suggested and Hermione nodded._

 _During Dean and Hermione's chat, they didn't notice the rest of the boys standing us and chasing each other around the fields on green grass. Seamus tackled Fred while George and Neville were running after each other in circles. The laughter and innocent fun radiated from the boys, forming a smile on the faces of the two teens sitting in the shade._

 _Hermione opened her water bottle and took a couple of swigs, not noticing how parched she was or how dry her throat felt. Her eyes didn't leave the boys in front of her, she enjoyed seeing them having fun and playing around._

 _"Oi! Stay down!" Yelled Seamus as Fred managed to get up after being tackled._

 _"Or what? You'll blow me up, Finnigan?" Laughed Fred, running after his twin._

 _George managed to get one of Neville's shoes off of him and began to toss it around. He passed it to Fred, not realizing that he had thrown it too high._

 _"I've got it!" Yelled Fred before leaping up, trying to get the shoe._

 _Fred's long body stretched out, his strong arms reaching up above him. Hermione's eyes couldn't help but lower down to his abdomen where his shirt had been lifted, taking in his smooth skin and the subtle trail of hair which disappeared under his belt. The years of training had morphed his body into a completely different one, like the ones Hermione would see on men's underwear stores whenever she went shopping with her mum._

 _Hermione forgot that she was still drinking water and choked on it, spitting it out as she coughed for air._

 _"Merlin, you alright?" Asked Dean as he pat her back._

 _She nodded, her cheeks flushed._

 _"Yup, sorry I've got to go. See you later." She said quickly and stood up before calling Neville's name._

 _Fred handed Neville his shoe while Hermione walked over to them._

 _"You've got something on your chin." Fred pointed out to her._

 _Hermione's hand shot up to her chin and wiped the water that had managed to dribble down her chin, a few droplets managing to run down her neck._

 _"Right, well off we go Neville. We go. Off we are." Said Hermione quickly, avoiding looking at the Fred._

 _"Okay. See you guys later." Said Neville at the guys and walked off, struggling to catch up to Hermione as she sped walked off towards the castle._

 _"What was that all about?" Asked Seamus._

 _Fred shrugged his shoulders while George smirked._

 _"Little Granger is a liar." Said George to himself, ignoring the confused questions the two boys were asking him._

* * *

"Hermione, can you stop day dreaming about your books and help?" Asked Ron, irritated at the fact that he still hadn't finished his assignment.

Hermione blinked away the memory of Fred's skin and sighed.

"Ron, I don't know what else I can do to help you. Harry's already done with his after I gave you guys all the information you needed."

"Well, you could write it out for me." Suggested Ron, which only made Hermione scowl at him.

He knew she hated being asked to do other people's assignments. If she could do it by stuffing her face in a book while having no magical background, then others could easily do it too.

"Perhaps if you weren't too busy thinking about Fay Dunbar's underpants you would have finished your assignment by now." Said Hermione as she leaned her head on her hand, propping her bony elbows on the wooden table.

Ron's face flushed as he thought of the incident which had taken place a couple hours ago, in which Fay Dunbar had tripped and fallen face flat onto the floor, causing her skirt to expose her bottom and her red and gold polka dot underwear. It was all Ron could talk about the minute Hermione stepped into the hall with Neville.

"Maybe you wouldn't be so pissy if you had nice red and golden knickers, Hermione." Spat Ron, not liking the feeling of being called out in public.

"Red and golden knickers? Can I see, Granger?" Teased a deep voice behind her.

Hermione felt her cheeks heat up, not wanting to turn around and face the source.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off somewhere shagging? Or have you decided to resign the position?" Asked Ron, rolling his eyes and slumping his shoulders.

"We all need snack breaks Ronnie." Said the red head behind Hermione as he sat down next to her.

"Where's the other one?" Asked Harry, not sure which twin he was talking to.

"He's off in the field, I got too hot." Answered the boy next to the only girl at the table.

 _Of course he got too hot,_ thought Hermione, _I'm surprised he doesn't get overheated being hot overall._

"So, why are we talking about Hermione´s knickers?" He asked, bringing the subject back up.

"Ron saw Fay Dunbar's skirt rise and hasn't stopped thinking about it since." Responded Neville, his cheeks slightly red.

"Fay Dunbar? Ron, you naughty boy. Has your skirt gone rogue too then, Granger?" Asked the boy next to her as he poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

Hermione cleared her throat before answering.

"I'd appreciate it if we'd all stop talking about girls' underwear. And no, Fred, my skirt has not gone rogue."

"Shame, isn´t it." He answered as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Hermione could not face him, not when he was talking about her underwear.

"As if anyone would want to see Mione's knickers." Mumbled Ron.

"If I recall, Ron, you were all about Hermione's knickers last term." Retorted Fred.

Hermione's head snapped towards Ron's direction, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me?" She asked, not believing what the twin had said.

"Oh yes, I remember that too." Answered Harry, slightly bumping his shoulder on Ron's.

"Was not! I don't even see Hermione as a girl." Exclaimed Ron.

This had bothered Hermione. Of course, not as much as it would have in her 3rd year, but it definitely caused her stomach to twist in anger.

"Well, not to shock you Ron, but I _am_ a girl." Said Hermione, causing Ron to roll his eyes.

"Yes, you're a girl, but you're not _a girl_." He said as if he were stating something obvious.

"Excuse me? Would you care to explain?" Asked Hermione, placing both of her hands on the wooden table in front of her.

"There's girls like Fay Dunbar, Cho Chang, or Angelina Johnson. They're the definition of a girl. You're... Well, you're just Hermione Granger." He said, shrugging his slouched shoulders.

Hermione wished she could say that it hadn't bothered her, that her self worth was not going to be affected by something Ron Weasley had said. But it did. Being described as _just Hermione Granger_ shouldn't bother her, because after all she _was_ the brightest witch of her age. She hated admitting it to herself.

"W-well, I think Hermione is a girl." Said Neville, smiling at her, "She's smart and kind and pretty."

"Have you got a crush on her now?" Snorted Ron, making all the boys roll their eyes.

"As if you've never had a crush on Hermione. I know I definitely did when we were younger, Mione's a very pretty girl." Said Harry, defending his best friend.

"Right, when you were younger and all you want to do is hold hands with a girl. But would you ever imagine having a crush on her now?", said Ron, "We all imagine girls in their underwear, imagining Hermione in her underwear could actually make me vomit."

This had been the final straw for the girl sitting across him.

Hermione abruptly stood up, slamming her hands on the table.

"I'm sorry if the image of me in my bra and knickers disgusts you Ron, now you know how all the girls in our year feel when they think of you. And for you information, there are plenty of guys who _would_ want to see me naked." She exclaimed.

For a second, Hermione had felt victorious. She knew she had gone for the low blow, belittling one of her best friends like that, but at that moment she didn't care. And for that one second, she had also forgotten they were in the dining hall, where other students and staff members were spending their time too.

"Miss Granger, detention!" She heard Snape say behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione couldn't believe it. Not only had she gotten herself in detention, she had publicly embarrassed herself. _There are plenty of guys that would want to see me naked?,_ she thought, _why on earth did I say that!_. Hermione felt defeated, she completely sexualized herself.

"Hermione? Please tell me it's true." Exclaimed Ginny as she burst into the dormitory.

Hermione groaned.

"Oh Merlin, it's true!" Said Ginny, covering her mouth with her hand, "I can't believe you've told almost everyone about your sexual experiences."

Hermione gasped, "What!? Is that what people have been saying?"

Ginny chuckled at her friend who was on the verge of a crisis.

"I'm just kidding, no one really knows what you said. Something about knickers they said. But Harry filled me in." Said Ginny as she sat next to Hermione on the big bed with red sheets.

"Ginny, what have I done? I said something completely out of character, I embarrassed Ron, _and_ got myself into detention with Snape all in one sentence." Sighed Hermione, rubbing her face with her hands.

"It's good to be spontaneous sometimes, you know. And detention won't be that bad. As for Ron, he's taken care of." Said Ginny as she pat the head of her bushy haired friend.

"What do you mean it's all taken care of?"

"Oh, well Harry told me that apparently after you stormed off, Ron got his fair share of yelling. Even Neville joined in," said Ginny, "Apparently Fred was extremely pissed. I think rejecting Angelina has affected his mood swings, lack of shagging will do that to a boy."

Hermione blushed.

"Fred yelled at Ron?" She asked, not wanting to look into Ginny's eyes.

"That's what Harry said, something about Ron always complaining he hasn't snogged any girls but goes around treating the only important girl in his life like absolute shit. He's definitely got a point, apart from mum and I, you're the most important girl. And in Harry's life too, of course. And in mine." Said Ginny, holding Hermione's hand.

Hermione smiled at her. Ginny had never been one to talk about her feelings or have a girls night but it all changed when Hermione caught her crying after one of her fights with Dean. After that, Ginny had openly expressed all her feelings to her, and Hermione was thankful for that.

They sat in silence for a bit, both of them lost in their own minds.

"Ginny?"

"Hm?"

"Were you joking when you said detention won't be that bad?" Asked Hermione, dreading the night that would be awaiting her.

"Merlin, you really don't know anything that happened after, do you?" Asked Ginny and chuckled when Hermione shook her head.

"Fred's yelling got him in detention too. Guess you too will be after school buddies."

* * *

Hermione could not stop her stomach from doing somersaults.

Detention alone was already horrible, she couldn't imagine what it would be like with Fred Weasley. It surely wouldn't be as bad as the time she had to share after school hours with Malfoy and the boys, but she was sure that she would not be able to enjoy her time alone.

Hermione couldn't stop rearranging her sheets, something she does when she's stressed, while she thought about what awaited her in a matter of hours. It wasn't that Hermione didn't want to spend time with Fred because she definitely did, but it was the fact that she was going to spend time _alone_ with Fred. How was she supposed to keep the conversation flowing? Who was going to distract her from the gorgeous boy?

She could hardly focus at all in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, especially not when one of her best friends was glaring daggers at her the minute she had walked in the classroom. It was hard enough having to ignore everyone's eyes for two hours.

She had been in a daze since the class had finished, not paying attention to where she was going.

"Looking lost, Granger." She heard a voice say behind her, recognizing who it was almost immediately.

"Merlin! George you scared me." She gasped, holding her right hand up to her chest, trying to stop her heart pounding out of it.

"Sorry dear. You alright? You're walking towards the wrong common room." He asked as he furrowed his brows, last time anyone had seen Hermione Granger this lost in her own thoughts, she had been petrified shortly after and the chamber of secrets had been opened.

Hermione blinked up at him, not realizing that she had been walking to the Slytherin common room.

"Oh, I didn't notice where I was going." She answered sheepishly.

George chuckled at her.

"We might want to walk back to ours then, I've planted some stink bombs which should go off in about 30 seconds. Also, you should be getting ready for your exciting night of detention with my brother dearest." Smirked George.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Hermione's head. _Of course!,_ she thought, _why didn't I think of this sooner?_

"30 seconds?", asked Hermione and George nodded.

She took a deep breath, waiting until they had about 15 seconds left.

"George, think of this as a huge favour to me and don't freak out." She said, causing the twin to look her confused.

"What are you talking about He-" He started but was cut off by the loud sound of stink bombs going off.

As if on queue, Snape walked out of the dungeons with a frown and his hand covering his nose.

 _Go big or go home_ , thought Hermione.

Hermione grabbed George's left hand and quickly put it on her left breast.

Both teens looked at each other, not quite knowing what to say. Hermione was mortified at the fact that she had willingly put George's hand on her breast, and George hadn't quite analysed the situation he was in.

After a couple of seconds, his eyes widened.

"Merlin, what on earth are you doing, Granger?" He exclaimed, his voice being followed by Snape's deeper tone.

"Dentention, Mr. Weasley. And 20 points from Gryffindor."

* * *

George Weasley was _almost_ never caught off guard. He would always have a comeback to any snide comment or knew how to act under most situations, but never would he have imagined a situation quite like this.

It took his brain a while to replay the events that had happened 15 minutes ago.

His hand was on Hermione Granger's breast. His _hand_ was _on_ Hermione's _breast._

He didn't get to make any sense of the situation due to the fact that she literally sprinted back to the Gryffindor common room, where she hid in her dormitory.

He lay on his bed, hands behind his head, as he tried to understand what on earth was going on in the girl's head.

"You look constipated." Commented his twin as he walked in the dormitory and threw himself on his bed.

"Something quite strange just happened." Mumbled George.

"Strange? Do tell."

"I'm not even sure what the hell happened, but I ran into Hermione near the dungeons. She was literally lost in her own head. We were talking, and out of no where she..." Said George, trailing off at the end of the sentence.

Fred looked over at his brother, his curious eyes meeting his as he sat up and leaned against his head board.

"She what, Georgie?" He asked.

"Well, she put my hand on her... mammaries." Continued George.

Fred's eyes bulged out of their socket.

"You've gropped Granger's tits?!" He exclaimed.

George was happy they were the only ones in the room as his cheeks blushed.

"No! Merlin, no. She put my hand on them! Right in front of Snape. Got myself a lovely dentention tonight." He explained.

Fred's brows furrowed and a slight frown set on his face.

"She... She put your hand on her?," he paused, "Do you reckon she wants to snog you?"

George shook his head.

"I don't think so mate."

George knew for a fact that Hermione was crushing over his twin brother, it was easy to tell. So why on earth would she have chosen the wrong twin?

They both stayed in silence for a few minutes.

George didn't know what to make of the situation, especially since he didn't expect Fred to be so quiet about it.

"You've got yourself detention then? Guess you'll be joining Granger and I." Mumbled Fred before laying back down.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

 _Hermione Granger, you sly witch._


	7. Chapter 7

**IMPORTANT:** **I have changed a couple of details in the story. It's set at the end of Hermione's fourth year, and Cedric DOES NOT die; this story is also slightly an AU where some things that happened in the books will either not be addressed or will not happen at all. I have also fixed the parts where Umbridge was mentioned as she does not take part in the Goblet of Fire. Please let me know if you see any other plot holes!**

Hermione was not ready for the events that were awaiting her that night. She had even planned on skipping detention, but that would only result in having another one and getting some Gryffindor points taken.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be getting ready? Detention's in about half an hour." Asked Ginny as she sat on her bed and snacked on some freshly baked treats she snuck out from dinner.

Hermione sighed. She could feel the anxiety in her stomach, making her feel sick.

"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost. You didn't eat anything at dinner as well." Asked Ginny as she placed a raspberry danish on Hermione's hand.

"It's not my day, that's all." Said Hermione.

Ginny stared her down, silently forcing her to shove the danish in her mouth so her stomach would digest something that wasn't its own walls. Hermione complied, feeling slightly better after feeling the sweetness in her mouth.

"I should probably get going, don't want to keep Filch waiting." Mumbled Hermione as she stretched her arms above her head.

"I'll wait up for you, we can read some more of your muggle magazines when you come back." Said Ginny, smiling at her best friend.

Hermione smiled back at her before walking out of the dorms and the Gryffindor common room.

She could feel her anxiety creeping up again, instantly regretting getting George into this mess. Detention alone with Fred would have been hard, but detention with both twins was even worse. Hermione couldn't understand why on earth she dragged George into the situation, she brought this all up on herself.

Hermione walked through the empty halls, her fingers were playing with the end of her blazer as she reached the courtyard where she was scheduled to meet Filch.

"You're here. Where are the other two?" He spat the minute he saw her.

"I haven't seen them, sir." Mumbled Hermione.

 _Are they_ skipping?, thought Hermione, _Perhaps detention alone won't be bad after all._

"Here we are, didn't mean to keep anyone waiting. Shall we? Let's hurry on, Filch, we don't have all day." She heard a voice say behind her.

 _Oh Merlin._

* * *

Filch had set them up in the charms classroom, giving each of them different tasks. Hermione's was quite simple, cleaning the desks from gum and doodles, while Fred and George had to rearrange every book in the bookshelves in alphabetical order.

Hermione sighed as she scraped off the last of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, vowing to never chew any of it for the rest of her life.

"What's wrong, Granger? Are you not enjoying our lovely detention together?" Asked George as he sat on one of the desks Hermione had just scrubbed clean.

"The faster you rearrange those books, the faster we get to leave." Said Hermione as she sat down on a chair, stretching her tired legs in front of her.

"Oh but we have, haven't we, Georgie?" Said Fred as he leaned on another desk next to George.

"But... They're not in alphabetical order." Stated Hermione as she glanced at the books arranged messily.

It took Hermione a couple seconds to realize that the books were arranged to spell out a sentence.

 ** _FILCH CAN SOD OFF_**

Hermione gasped.

"You're both going to get us into more trouble!" She exclaimed as she rearranged the books

"Oh relax, you're going to give yourself a nervous breakdown some day." Said George, laying down on the desks.

" _George_." Said Hermione sternly, warning the redheaded boy to quit teasing her.

George sighed as he announced he was going to the washroom, disappearing from the room.

"Damn Weasleys." Muttered Hermione as she began taking on the twin's task.

"C'mon now, I'll help."

 _Oh no,_ Hermione thought. She had been so caught up on being annoyed at George that she had forgotten about the second twin lingering in the classroom.

"T-That's okay, Fred. I can finish up on my own." Mumbled Hermione, feeling warm at the fact that she was all alone in a room with Fred Weasley.

Fred ignored her as he stepped next to her and began arranging the books.

Hermione stared at him, perhaps for a little longer than she had intended, but she couldn't help herself from running her eyes along every single feature of his face. She had seen Fred Weasley a couple hundred times in her teenage years, but not once had she stopped to realize that she has the pleasure to lay her eyes on one of the most beautiful boys that she had ever seen.

After blinking a couple of times and facing away from the boy, her hand shot up to a thick, leather covered book to continue her task. However, instead of feeling the hard cover under her fingertips, she felt warmth.

She gasped as she realized that their hands were touching as they reached for the same book. She glanced to her right, meeting Fred's brown eyes. Her stomach flipped as she tore her eyes away from him and quickly retreated her hand, feeling the cold form the air almost immediately.

"Alright, Granger?" Asked Fred as his eyebrows were knitted together, wondering why the witch was acting so foreign.

 _Get yourself together,_ thought Hermione, _You've been alone with him hundreds of times!_

"Just a little tired, that's all. Let's finish quickly. Where's George anyway? The toilets are only around the corner, maybe we should-" She rambled on, not once raising her eyes from the floor. Her voice was cut off once she felt a hand on her right shoulder, gasping as she felt the contact.

"You've been acting strange." He pointed out.

Hermione didn't say anything back, it's not like she didn't want to, but more like she couldn't. Not when his hand was burning the skin under her shirt.

Once her eyes started trailing up his body, she knew she wouldn't be able to look away anymore. He was the only thing she wanted to see. When she finally set her sight on his face, it was like Hermione forgot how to breathe. She had seen Fred Weasley millions of times, but she had never seen him like this. Mere inches away from her, his eyebrows knit together in worry and his brown eyes staring right at her. Merlin, it was like he was the first boy she had ever seen. His smooth skin glowed, his thick eyebrows and strong nose made him look like the man he was growing up to be while his hair was beginning to grow back again which gave him back some of the young innocence he still had.

As she kept running her eyes along his features, Fred's features began to soften. His face slowly began to relax, not really understanding why the witch in front of him was acting so strange or why he had never noticed how warm Hermione's eyes were. He took in the sight in front of him; her lips which seemed so soft, the blush that rested on her soft cheeks, the way her cheekbones started to make an appearance as the girl began to change into a woman.

For the first time, they both really observed each other for what felt like eternity. Hermione and Fred saw each other for what they were, instead of young children.

"Didn't mean to make you mad, Hermione. I'll arrange the books how they're supposed to."

Hermione stepped back from Fred as she heard George coming into the classroom, finally awaking from her trance, her face heating up as she realized that she had been ogling Fred for what could've easily been hours.

"Sorry." Hermione breathed out quietly before quickly leaving two confused boys behind.

"What just happened? I was gone for like 5 minutes." Asked George, not understanding why the witch left in such a hurry.

 _That's what I'd like to know_ , thought Fred.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione had successfully avoided the twins all week. George had tried to talk to her in the corridors multiple times but eventually gave up, which she was thankful for. She didn't know exactly why she was avoiding them, but she most definitely didn't want to face Fred.

 _Merlin, why am I such a creep,_ thought Hermione. She was 100% convinced that Fred thought the same.

It was Friday night and the Gryffindor common room was louder than normal. According to Ginny, Seamus had decided to sneak some other students in while the older students brought a couple of things from the kitchens, knowing that the elves would be more than happy to give them anything they needed.

"Are you coming down, Hermione?" Asked Ginny as Hermione lay on her bed with wet hair from her shower.

"Might come down in a bit, not for long though." Said Hermione as she smiled towards the redhead who nodded and stepped out of the dormitory.

Hermione sighed, not wanting to join the others knowing that Fred and George would most likely be there. She knew she couldn't spend the rest of her life avoiding the two boys, she might as well get it over with.

Getting up from her bed, she changed out of her bathrobe into a pair of jeans and a white sweatshirt. Her wet hair was thrown into a bun, she definitely didn't want to deal with a lion's mane at night. She quickly put on some shoes before leaving her comfortable dormitory.

The common room had more people than Hermione had expected. The red couches were overflowing with laughing students, the coffee tables were full of pastries and salty snacks, and the corner of the room had a table filled with different kinds of bottles.

"Hermione!" Called out Neville, catching her attention.

Hermione walked over to the group of friends around Neville, smiling at them as they greeted her.

"Fred and George managed to sneak in some fire whiskey!" Cheered Ginny as she poured Hermione a small shot glass of golden liquid.

Hermione grimaced as she smelled the glass, her gag reflex immediately put into action as she held the glass away from her face and handed it back to Ginny.

"No thanks, don't think I can drink that." She breathed, still feeling a slight burn at the back of her nasal passage.

"Oh c'mon, 'Mione! Just drink it!" Cheered Seamus, his cheeks warm.

"Maybe you could start with a butter beer, Hermione? I can get one." Offered Dean, drinking a butter beer himself.

Hermione was about to accept Dean's offer until two mops of red hear appeared in her line of sight.

"Granger." Greeted Fred, not really meeting her eyes. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, she couldn't really expect him to be friendly after she avoided him.

"Haven't I already told you? The fire whiskey is for grown ups, Gin." Teased George as he took the shot glass from Ginny's hand.

"Bugger off! It's for Hermione." Said Ginny, taking the glass back.

"As if, I've never seen Hermione take a shot in her life." Laughed George.

"I'll give it to A-" Started Fred, but Hermione immediately interrupted.

"I'll take it!" She exclaimed and swallowed the shot she snatched from George's hand.

She immediately regret it, she could feel burning all the way down her esophagus as she struggled to keep the liquid down.

 _Was he going to give to Angelina? That's the only name with an A I could think of,_ she thought as she covered her mouth with her palm.

Fred looked at Hermione, slightly amused at her reaction.

"Nice one, Hermione!" Cheered Ron, already feeling the effects of the alcohol.

"Oh, one shot is not enough! Make it two and I'll be impressed." Teased George, resting his elbow on Hermione's shoulder.

She glared at him.

"Watch yourself, George." She muttered, causing him to laugh.

"Well, see you lot later then. Got places to be, people to charm." Said Fred before he walked off with his twin.

Hermione sighed, her first conversation with the twins had been a bust.

"Shall we have some fun then?" Asked Harry as he served everyone some butterbeers.

* * *

Hermione had been offered more drinks than she could count, laughing as all her friends took more rounds of shots. It was safe to say that there was not a single sober student in the common room.

"I think it's time for a game of never 'ave I ev'r!" Exclaimed Seamus, slurring his words as he gathered people to sit in a circle near the fireplace.

Hermione sat next to Ginny and Ron, smiling giddily as everyone took their places. Her smile, however, was quickly wiped off as she noticed that Fred and George were sitting right across her, with Angelina Johnson laughing between them.

 _Has she already forgiven him then? Are they back to being a thing?,_ wondered Hermione as she played with the strings of her hoodie.

"I'll start then, never 'ave I ev'r had sex." Said Seamus.

Hermione groaned quietly, not wanting people to know about her experience with Victor Krum only a couple of months ago.

She looked around the group and noticed who drank from their cups; Ginny, Dean, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Fred, George, and Parvati.

"You're in deep shit, Deanie boy." Mumbled Fred as he stared daggers at the poor, frightened boy while Ginny rolled her eyes.

Hermione took advantage of this distraction to quickly take a sip from her cup, hoping to pass by unnoticed by the other players in the circle.

"Hermione, what on earth are you doing?" Asked Ron the minute Hermione's lips touched the red cup.

Ron's sudden words caught the attention of everyone, making them look directly at Hermione.

"Well, she's clearly drinking. Are you blind, Ron?" Asked Ginny, trying to take the attention off Hermione, which she thanked her silently for.

"Yeah, but she can only drink if she's had sex." Stated Ron, annoyed at his sister's attempt of making him look stupid.

"W...Well, I, I may have participated in such activity." Mumbled Hermione while staring at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the room.

"Well, well, well, _little_ Granger." Teased George as he nodded slowly, making the tension disappear.

"So, who did you _fuck_?" Asked Lavender, wiggling her eyebrows.

A loud sputtering was heard, followed by coughing and a cup being put on the ground harshly.

"Alright, Fred?" Asked Angelina as she pat him back.

Hermione looked at the ginger boy across her, only to find him already staring back.

"Yeah, just choked a bit." He mumbled as he straightened up, not taking his eyes off the tan girl.

"So, c'mon Mione who did you-" Started Seamus.

"Never have I ever done cunnilingus." Said Hermione, interrupting the irish boy and quickly changing the subject.

"What on earth in cunnilingus?" Asked Ron, confused at the new world.

"The loving act of pleasuring a woman, with your tongue." Said George before he drank from his cup, followed by Fred, Dean, and Seamus.

Ron's cheeks turned pink, but not as pink as Hermione's as she found Fred still staring at her, licking the remaining fire whiskey from his lips. Hermione took a shaky breath, feeling her stomach tighten and her hands become clammy.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Asked Ginny, eyeing her friend curiously.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just... a bit hot, that's all." Said Hermione as she wiped her hands on her jean clad thighs.

The game continued on, everyone throwing the most sexual things in the conversation; blowjobs, sex toys, anal, orgasms. Hermione couldn't keep up with the topics, not when Fred was still looking at her with dark eyes.

When they all got bored, everybody broke off into different conversations as they remained next to the fireplace, enjoying the heat.

"Spill." Said Ginny as Hermione stretched her legs infront of her.

"Sorry?"

"Something's going on, spill." She continued.

Hermione sighed. She didn't know whether the alcohol was making her talk or if she needed to get things off her chest, but she couldn't help but tell her best friend.

"I like Fred... Well, not _like_ like but I have a crush. Well, not a crush but a-" Hermione rambled.

Ginny grabbed ahold her Hermione's shoulders, making her stop talking.

"Yes, that's quite obvious. I meant like have you snogged my brother."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed.

 _Oh no_ _, is it obvious? Does he know? Does everyone know?_ , she panicked.

"Relax, I'm your best friend, of course I know you like my brother." Explained Ginny, patting Hermione's back, "And by the way he was looking at you, I would've thought you two were already snogging."

"By the way he was looking at me?" Asked Hermione.

"Like a full course meal"

Hermione blushed at this, not knowing how to react.

"I think you need to get your ass into gear and snog him." Said Ginny, not caring how straightforward she was being.

Hermione nodded, "Okay, yes."

* * *

Hermione didn't, in fact, get her ass into gear.

An hour had passed, and everyone was still very drunk. Hermione was surprised she could even stay standing while the whole room was spinning.

"Have you talked to him yet?" Asked Ginny and Hermione sighed.

"How can I? He's always with George." Whined Hermione, making Ginny shake her head.

"I'm on it."

Hermione saw Ginny make her way across the room, joining the twins, only to be stopped by George's long arm keeping her at arms length with his hand over her head. She could see Ginny arguing with George while he laughed at her, keeping his hand flat on her head. Her eyes trailed over to the other twin, who was finishing his cup before making his way over.

 _Oh no, oh no, oh no_ , thought Hermione as she tried to calm her breathing.

"Having fun?" Asked Fred as he stopped right infront of her.

"Y-yes, you?" She asked, only to receive a nod.

They stared at each other for a moment before Fred swiftly leaned in. Hermione's eyes widened, not prepared for the sudden proximity. Her heart rate quickened and her face felt hot, she suddenly became aware of the other students in the room who were laughing and drinking.

She felt his hand on her hip and his long leg between hers, her thighs touching his. She closed her eyes as he leaned in more, expecting his lips at any moment. Except they never arrived. She opened her eyes abruptly, only to realize that Fred had reached over behind her to grab a bottle. She could feel his body heat radiating, practically holding herself back from tasting his soft neck.

 _Merlin, he's so close_ , she thought, involuntarily rubbing her thighs together only to be stopped by Fred's.

"Alright?" Whispered Fred in her ear, his breath hitting her neck, causing goosebumps.

She let out a shaky breath, leaning towards him, "Yeah."

Fred began to separate himself from the witch, slowly letting his lips touch Hermione's ear for a second before serving himself a new cup of fire whiskey.

Hermione had to stop herself from jumping on him right then and there, gripping the table with her sweaty hands.

"See you." He said before turning his back to her and walking away.

It took Hermione about 5 minutes to process what had happened, not understanding anything.

When she finally looked around the room, she caught George and Ginny's knowing eyes before walking over to them, joined by Harry.

"Am I too drunk, or did I just see that?" Asked Harry

"You definitely just saw that." Said George, smirking.

"I allow you to fully snog my brother, hell take him to bed even." Said Ginny, making Hermione laugh.

"I don't think so, Gin." She said.

"You're joking, you've got to snog him." Said George, shaking Hermione's shoulders.

"You really do have to, Hermione. You've both been undressing each other mentally all evening, even I noticed." Said Harry, making Hermione cover her face with her hands.

"Alright, yes. Where is he?" Asked Hermione, feeling a sudden wave of confidence.

"Saw him going upstairs after he saw you." Said George.

Hermione didn't bother saying bye to her friends before she quickly made her way to the boys' dormitory.

* * *

Hermione should've known.

She should've known.

 _How could I be so stupid._

All the signs were right there, it was clear to her even when the stairs were moving and she had to hold on to the wall.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

But she just _had_ to know. She had to make sure, maybe it would all be a misunderstanding.

 _How could I not realize._

She knew it, but she had to make sure. She needed an answer to her conclusion.

And she definetly got it.

The loud moans, the sound of the bed banging against the wall, the way she called out his name.

She knew what she would walk in to, but she still stood in shock as she witnessed Fred's strong muscular back peeking out from under the sheets, his face buried in her neck, the way her back arched into him and how her legs wrapped tightly around him; the way Fred looked back at her, directly in the eye, with a lifeless expression as he reached over for his wand on his bedside table and flicked it, causing the door to slam shut on Hermione's face, leaving her shocked with the engraved image of Fred _fucking_ Alicia Spinnet.


	9. Chapter 9

Fred woke up alone the following morning.

There were no other guys in the dormitory, not even his own twin, and the body he slept with during the night had snuck out sometime at dawn.

He sighed to himself, covering his eyes with his forearm as he tried to go back to sleep. He could feel his body slowly relaxing, his eyes drooping.

Except the sleep never came. Instead, the vivid image of his sister's best friend and brother's long-time crush flashed in his mind. Her wide eyes, her mouth slightly agape, the way she stood frozen at the door. Hermione Granger standing speechless at the door of his dormitory was the only thing he could think about.

He groaned.

 _Get out of my head, Granger._

Images of her kept running through his mind; how she looked at him, the way she laughed, the way she would lick her lips after finishing her drink.

 _Stop thinking about her, Fred,_ he thought as he pulled at his roots. He wanted to stop, he didn't want to keep seeing her, but he knew he just couldn't.

He remembered the way he got so close to her, he could smell the pears in her shampoo and the jasmine on her skin.

 _What the fuck is wrong with me? I've known her since she was 11 for Merlin's sake!_

He lay there, punishing himself for ever imagining Hermione Granger in any other way than what she was; his younger siblings' friend. Little Ginny's _best friend_ , Ickle Ronniekins' _crush_. _Little_ Granger.

 _Except she's not so little anymore_.

Fred's eyes widened as he realized his thoughts began right after finding out Hermione's experience with guys. She had _sex._ She's _grown up_.

Groaning, he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

* * *

The first thing Hermione noticed when she woke up was the fact that the dormitory was deserted.

The second was the urgent need to vomit.

She couldn't remember how much she had to drink last night, but she could tell it was more than she could handle as she didn't know how she even got to bed. She was still in her clothes from last night, only her shoes were removed.

She looked around, slowly moving her head as she room still spinned. A small vial of something was on her bedside table along with a note.

 _Hangover Cure_

 _I'll be in the great hall._

 _Love, Ginny._

Hermione smiled to herself as she took the potion and forced herself to get up and stand under the shower for a few minutes.

While the hot water hit her head, she tried to remember what had happened last night. Every memory was intact up until...

 _Fred had sex with Alicia._

She groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Part of her was hurt, but she shook it away.

 _I was overthinking everything, he has no interest in me. Nothing has changed._

Quickly drying her body, she changed into a pair of comfortable grey grey joggers and a red sweatshirt with a black tank underneath. Her hair looked like a mess, especially since she was probably rolling around in her sleep, so a messy bun kept it in place.

Feeling better already, she made her way out of the dormitory. The common room was also deserted, but it didn't surprise her seeing as everyone must be eating their hangovers away.

* * *

"Hermione!" Called Ginny the minute Hermione stepped into the great hall.

She smiled at her red headed friend as she walked over and sat down between her and George, facing Ron and Harry,

"I'm starving! Thanks for the potion, Ginny." Said Hermione as she bumped her shoulder with the girl next to her.

"No worries, Mione. Ron's so hungover, he almost hexed me when he found out I got you a vial." Laughed Ginny, earning a scowl from her brother.

"So... You were drunk last night." Commented Harry.

Hermione sighed, _of course they want to talk about it._

"Yes, I found myself to be intoxicated. And, since you're all probably wondering, yes I was confused about my feelings for a certain someone. But don't worry, they're gone now." She stated as she stuffed a toast with jam into her mouth, following it with some pumpkin juice.

"Gone? What do you mean?" Asked George, putting down the sausage he had just stabbed with his fork.

"I don't know, they're just gone. I see him as nothing more than what he is; a friend."

"Okay, but he's not _really_ just a friend, is he?" Asked Harry as he poured Ginny some more juice.

"Who on earth are you all talking about?" Mumbled Ron as he hid his face between his hands, nursing his headache.

"No one, Ron. And yes, Harry, he's really _just_ a friend." She said, rolling her eyes at the interrogation her friends were putting her through.

"What changed though? Last night you couldn't keep your eyes off him." Asked Ginny as she placed some more pastries on Hermione's plate, a gesture that reminded Hermione of the Weasley's mother.

"Last night? More like the whole month." Added George, earning a glare from his sister.

"I was confused, I think. You know, finding out that most students here have had sex with someone in their own houses was surprising, to say the least. But I'm over it, and last night definetly helped me clear my head." Explained the Gryffindor girl.

"Why? I thought last night would've done the complete opposite, from what we saw..." Wondered Harry.

"I would've thought so too, but after walking in on him and Alicia Spinnet, I'm back to normal." She said, picking at the pastries her friend had given her.

"Walked in on them doing... what exactly?" Asked Harry.

"Fucking, of course."

None of her friends knew what to answer to that; Ginny was too busy giving Harry napkins as he coughed up his juice while George stared at the girl next to him with wide eyes, Ron wasn't even taking part of the conversation.

"Are you alright, Hermione? Need me to roughen him up?" Asked George as he placed his hand on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her.

Hermione looked at him with furrowed brows, "I'm alright, why on earth would I need you to roughen him up?"

"Hermione, it's alright. We're your friends, you can open up to us." Said Ginny, holding Hermione's hand.

"I know, Ginny. But I don't understand what exactly I need to be opening up about?" Giggled Hermione, confused at her friends' reactions.

"You mean... You're not hurt? Or upset?" Asked Harry slowly.

"Of course not. It was just a little crush anyway, but it's gone now." Stated Hermione.

* * *

The minute George saw Fred, he slapped his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Groaned Fred, rubbing his head.

"You're an absolute dickhead, you know that?"

"I'm sure, but why?" Asked Fred as he sat up on his bed, making space for his twin to sit.

"Why? Last night, dear Freddie, you had a chance with one of the brightest girls you'll ever meet in your life. You had a chance with the best girl out there for you, and you throw it all away for a one night stand with Alicia?" Said George, not understanding what his brother was thinking.

"What on earth are you talking about, Gred?"

"Did you or did you not sleep with Alicia last night?" Asked George, exasperated.

Fred nodded.

"After you almost snogged Granger." Added George

Fred sighed as he covered his eyes with his forearm.

"I didn't almost snog Granger, she's like a little sister." Groaned Fred.

"Yet you couldn't keep your eyes off her last night, heck you couldn't even keep your hands off her. So tell me, Forge, why on earth would you throw all that away for another girl?" Asked George.

"Granger is... Granger. She's Ginny's _best friend_ , Ron is _in love_ with her. Sure, she's a fit bird and all, but there's no way I'm getting in that mess." Explained Fred.

"Well, you're already in the mess. You initiated contact with her last night, and less than 20 minutes later you've already buried your dick in another girl. How on earth is that not _getting in that mess_."

Fred sighed.

"It's not like I deliberately wanted to ditch Granger and go for Alicia. It just happened." He shrugged.

"It just... happened. You just happened to bring her up to your bed and get naked with her. Don't lie, Fred. Ginny already wants to hex you." Threatened George.

Fred rolled his eyes.

"I was going to come back to talk to her. I went to get something, and I was going to come right back, but Alicia cornered me on the stairs and she was saying all these things about how I never pay attention to her. I ended up having sex with her but Hermione walked in." He explained.

"Yeah, I know. She told me at breakfast." Commented George.

"Was she mad? I didn't mean to leave." He asked.

"She didn't care much. Didn't affect her." Said George.

For some reason, Fred's chest didn't feel quite right that morning.

* * *

Hermione had gone most of the day without running into Fred. She didn't mind though, she wasn't excited to have to talk to him and apologize for interrupting him last night. She had somehow managed to repeatedly get herself into awkward conversations in the past month.

"Mione, are you sure you're okay? It's just us now, you can tell me anything." Ginny said as she sat on the foot of Hermione's bed, resting a pillow on her lap.

"Ginny, I'm okay. Sure, at first I was completely devastated and felt like ripping my heart out, but when I woke up this morning I was fine. Fred is someone I've known for ages, it's the first time I've taken in to account the man he's grown to be so I had a little crush. Thank Merlin it's gone though, now everything's back to normal." Smiled Hermione, holding her best friend's hand.

"Okay, great! Because Seamus had a brilliant idea for tonight, and we need your help," started Ginny as she began to explain what their friends were planning.

"You want to do _what?!_ " Exclaimed Hermione, not believing what Ginny had asked for.

"With Harry's cloak no one will notice, plus it's only a small group of people. It'll be fun!"

"Ginny, there's no way I'm gonna be a part of this. Sneaking out of school is forbidden!" Hermione couldn't understand why they would even think about such a plan.

"Oh c'mon! It's just the black lake, we'll be back early. If we're quiet, there's no way Filch will see us." Whined Ginny, making Hermione roll her eyes.

Hermione contemplated the plan for a few minutes before she sighed, making Ginny squeal and clap her hands.

"Let's go over the plan again..."

* * *

At 9pm the Gryffindor common room was filled with whispers of 15 students, all of them excited for what they had planned.

Hermione sat on the couch, annoyed at the fact that more than "a small group of people" had gathered. If it weren't for Ginny's death grip on her arm, she would've gone back to the dormitory. She was relieved when she saw Neville's anxious face; it let her know she wasn't over reacting and what they were planning to do was indeed breaking the rules.

The Weasley twins snuck in the common room carrying two baskets each, all filled with drinks and treats. Hermione had succesfully avoided directing her eyes to a certain twin, she had even ignored the burning feeling of his eyes staring at the back of her head.

"Ready? Everyone's so excited!" Squealed Ginny as she jumped on the couch next to her.

"Excited? Neville looks like he's about to damn well piss his pants." Chuckled Hermione, sympathizing with the pale boy.

"I'd say he always looks like that though."

Hermione shut her eyes as she took a big breath in.

"Hi, Fred." She greeted, trying to keep her voice from trembling

 _Get ahold of yourself! Why are you acting like this?_ , thought Hermione, scolding herself for being so awkward.

"How're you doing, Hermione?" He said as he sat on the floor infront of her, smiling at her.

"Regretting ever agreeing to take part in this activity, yourself?" She sighed, really just wanting to go back to bed.

"Cheer up love, it's a Saturday night. The night is young and so are we, am I right?" He said as he tilted his head back dreamily, leaning back on his hands while stretching his long legs.

"I'd say we're about ready to go. Harry's map says Filch is on the other end of the castle." Said Ron, rubbing his palms together.

"Right, everyone get in pairs then!", George packed up blankets and pillows in another basket as he rallied up all the teens.

The plan was fairly simple, and would take about 40 minutes to complete. Fred, George, Harry, and Ginny would head out first, the latter carrying the baskets and covered by Harry's invisibility cloak. The twins wouldn't need to hide since they knew the castle like the palm of their hand, and knew how to get out of a sticky situation without breaking a sweat. Once they get to the black lake, one of the twins comes back with the cloak to get the rest of the students in pairs while the others stay setting up. One important detail was the crucial fact that Hermione and Neville _have_ to be the last pair to leave the common room in case of any teachers suspecting anything; as long as they pretended to be studying, everything would be alright.

Hermione and Neville sat by the fire, chatting quietly as the group of people began decreasing in size. They talked about Neville's herbology assignment and how they had both enjoyed the Yule Ball, even though Hermione had ended her night with mascara streaks down her cheeks. They eventually quieted down, yawning from time to time and rubbing their eyes.

The silence was interrupted by the creaking of the door opening and a sweaty twin coming in.

"Fred? I thought George was taking people?" Asked Hermione.

"He was, but he got tired so I replaced him." Explained Fred, out of breath.

"Shall we get going then?" Said Neville as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head.

"Right then, tiny problem. Filch is on this side of the castle now and almost caught me on my way back, and since the cloak can only first 2 people, I'll make two trips." Explained Fred.

Hermione's stomach dropped slightly.

"I recall Ron, Harry, and I fitting fine under the cloak." She added, hoping to avoid having to spend time alone under a blanket with Fred.

"Yeah, when you were younger and none of you was tall." Commented Fred, wiping his brow with his forearm.

Hermione kept her mouth shut, knowing that he was right.

"George said to take Neville first, you're more used to lying to teachers than he is." Said Fred as he placed the cloak over the boy next to him.

She wanted to tell him that she hated lying, and that she actually rarely lied, but bit her tongue instead and watched them leave.

She sighed, wondering how upset Ginny would be if she would simply climb into bed right now. Instead, she lie on the couch as she stared at the fire.

"Granger, wake up." She heard as someone shook her shoulder.

She slowly opened her eyes, letting her brain analyze the face that was mere inches away from hers before gasping and abruptly sitting up to create some distance.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." She said as she rubbed her eyes.

"It's alright." He answered back.

Hermione wrapped the cloak around her shoulders, mentally preparing herself.

"Shall we?" Asked Fred and she nodded, ignoring the warmth of his arm against hers.

 _How did I manage to get myself into_ this?


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione was hot. _Really_ hot. Within the first five minutes, her hands became clammy and she could feel how the hair at the back of her head stuck uncomfortable to her sticky neck. Fred wasn't any better, his arm wiping his forehead every time he felt the humidity on his face.

"Harry really should've mentioned how hot it gets in here." Mumbled Fred, not liking the way the back of his shirt was sticking to his hot back.

"It _is_ a cloak after all." Commented Hermione, irritated at the fact that her hair would soon begin to puff up if they keep sweating.

"Just making conversation, Granger. If I wanted your panties in a twist, I would simply twist them myself."

Hermione's face burned at this, making her even hotter. Fred, however, didn't seem to notice the effect he had on the girl next to him.

"Do you really need to bring underpants into every conversation? Can you not control yourself from being such a _perverted_ boy?"

 _Stupid Fred and his stupid comments,_ she thought.

"And do you really need to be such a priss all the time?" He spat back.

Fred didn't mean for his voice to sound so aggressive, and he definitely didn't mean to call her what all the other clueless boys call her. Hermione blinked at him, her legs coming to a halt. The look on her face was enough to make Fred want to slap himself across the face; her brows were drawn in and her teeth sunk into her lower lip.

"Hermione, Merlin I'm so sorry. This heat is really just riling me up and I shouldn't be taking it out on you. It was really unfair and rude of me to-" He started, but the minute he heard footsteps coming toward them, he stopped.

He turned his head to see Filch angrily stomping their way, and Mrs. Norris was on his tail.

In a fit of panic, he pushed Hermione against the wall behind her.

"What are you-" He covered her mouth his his large hand, and kept one long finger against his mouth, signalling her to keep quiet.

Hermione could feel her heart in her throat, she had never felt more awake. Before this, she wanted to get away from the heat, but now all she needed was to feel his body closer to hers. His towering figure swallowed hers as he kept her stuck to the wall, she could feel his body pressing against her even more by the second. His hard abdomen, his chest, and _oh Merlin_ one of his long legs between her jean clad legs, propping her up.

 _Oh, what am I going to do, oh Merlin,_ she thought, not controlling the mental images of them doing inappropiate things flooding her brain.

A minute ago, she had been hurt and angry at the same man who stood flush against her, and now all she could see, feel, and smell was _him_.

Fred wasn't thinking, clearly. He didn't even notice the position he had put them in until Filch came closer and he had leaned harder into the girl. The sound of her mouth releasing a gasp made him come to, finally realizing that the heat he could feel wasn't coming from him.

Her breasts were pressed hard against his chest, her small hands resting on his arms, the warmth coming from in between her legs.

Fred fought the urge to press a little harder, to lean a little lower, and to raise his leg _just enough_ to hear her whimper.

Merlin, she felt so good pressed against him. All his hands wanted to do was feel every inch of her, starting with her breasts (which he had taken into account before, he estimated them to be slightly bigger and perkier than what his hand could fit), and ending at the place he would only dream to touch, to _taste_ , to _feel_ around his-

"Fred."

He couldn't help but smirk at the hoarseness of her trembling voice, she wanted this as much as he did.

"Yeah?" He whispered, looking into her eyes which was been clouded with lust.

"I think Filch is leaving." She said as she swallowed thick, her mouth feeling dry while another part of her body was becoming wet.

Mrs. Norris meowed loudly, not taking her red eyes off of the teenagers on the wall.

"What do you see, Mrs. Norris? Students out of bed?" Asked Filch as he scowled, squinting his eyes around the corridors.

"I don't think he is." Fred whispered back to her, lowering his head so his lips could graze the outside of Hermione's ear.

Hearing her sigh and seeing how she leaned her head to side made Fred want to throw his fist up in victory. In that moment, she wasn't Ron's first love nor Ginny's friend, she was just a beautiful girl that Fred couldn't get enough of.

Filch stood around for another minute, observing like a hawk while the cat stayed right by his side. After he realized that there were indeed no students (that he could see at least) out of bed, he gave up and began walking away, grumbling and mumbling to himself.

Hermione was surprised that Fred didn't back away the minute Filch left, not that she wanted him to either. Instead, she could swear he pushed her back _just a little_ bit more, as if he were testing the waters. Her back was completely stuck on the wall now, they were so close that she was sure that if she were to be cold, Fred would definetly feel her nipples poking into his chest.

Fred didn't move his head away, his lips still next to her ear. Part of him wanted to stop this now and continue on their way, but the urge to have her right then and there were overpowering all of his common sense.

 _Fuck this_ , he thought and within seconds his lips were on Hermione's neck while his left hand gripped her thigh and hoisted it up to his hip, allowing his leg to finally reach the place he's been drooling about for the past few minutes.

Hermione's senses exploded. His lips felt so good against her neck, she leaned her head back while one of her hands tangled itself with the long red locks at the nape of his neck.

His hand felt so big as it ran up her thigh, coming to rest right below her behind, while her leg wrapped around his hips. She could feel how she needed him, urgently, as the spot between her legs began to throb, aching for any kind of stimulation.

She began to feel annoyed, Fred remained as still as he could be in between her legs, and she needed him to start doing something before she relieved herself with her own hands.

His kissing on her neck turned into wet, open mouthed kisses as he gently sucked and nipped at her skin and earlobe, making her whimper and tighten her grip of his hair. Fred felt like he could die happy right then and there, her heavy breathing and quiet sounds made him want to take everything to the next level. And the minute he felt her small hand wrap around his hips and bring him closer to her, he did.

Gripping her thigh, he slowly grinded into her. He needed _more_ , he needed _harder_ , _faster._ He needed way more, but he settled with the challenge of making the girl cum and plead for more by only grinding through their clothes. Especially after he heard her breathless moans.

"Oh Merlin." She whispered through her lips as they curled into a smile, closing her eyes in pure bliss and pressing her hips harder against his leg.

Slow grinding turned into faster, harder, and into exactly what they each needed. Hermione had to bite her lip to keep her voice contained while Fred moaned quietly into her neck, both of his hands now on her hips while she wrapped her other leg around his hips, allowing them both to move in a way that was so delicious to them both.

When Fred's simple grinding turned into harder thrusting, Hermione had experienced something she had never felt before. She could feel all the right places beginning to feel more sensitive while her toes curled, making her shut her eyes tightly and bite her lip even harder to avoid crying out loud.

Fred could feel how her hands gripped his shirt and her legs wrapped tightly around his hips while her breathing got faster and whimpers were caught at the back of her throat. For the first time, he leaned his head back to take a look at her face, and he wasn't disappointed by the view. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips raw from her teeth, her eyebrows drawn in. She was glowing as she rested her head on the cold wall.

He knew she was going to cum, and soon. He could read her like a book, and he knew that he didn't even have to finger her to make her come undone. Somehow, this made Fred want to fuck her even more, the fact that he could make her cum and cry out in pleasure so easily made him even harder as he thought of all the orgasms he could give her. He wanted to hear her scream while he did all types of things to her; finger her, taste her, fuck her in all the positions that existed. He bit his lip as he slowly moved his hand over to the front of her jeans, his long index and middle finger running up and down her slit through the hard material. Her mouth dropped open as she let out a quiet moan, enjoying the feeling of the pressure on one specific area. His thumb began to rub circles on her clitoris, slowly increasing the pressure, while his fingers continued to run up and down. She could feel her stomach tightening, and before she knew it or was even prepared of it, she cried out.

"Oh Merlin, oh fuck, I think- I think I'm-" She moaned as her legs shook slightly and her hands tightened around his shoulders so tightly, her nails dug in painfully.

She could feel her heartbeat between her legs as she tried to calm her breathing and clear the stars away from her vision. _Was that what girls mean when they say they've had an orgasm?_ , Hermione wondered. Her one night of passion with Viktor Krum hadn't ended with her feeling like she had spent time in heaven.

"Let's go back so I can taste that pretty, tight cunt." He said, his voice dripping in lust. He couldn't get the image of her cumming out of his head, and he definetly didn't want it out.

Hermione opened her eyes, finally looking into his brown ones. And in that moment, they both felt like they've been splashed with a bucket of ice cold water. They backed away from each other as if they burnt their skin, both of them wide eyed and disheveled. No matter what they thought of each other before, in that moment Fred was Hermione's best friends' older brother, and Hermione was Ron's first love and Ginny's best friend.

Hermione couldn't say a word, nor did she want to, not after she was dry humped against a wall so hard that she had her first orgasm. Her stomach was it knots, not in the way it was before, and it made her feel sick. _How could I do this to Ginny? To Ron?_ , she thought as she kept her eyes glued to the floor, not wanting to look at the tall boy in front of her.

Fred couldn't believe what he had done. _She's Hermione for fuck's sake, you degenerate bastard_ , he mentally scolded.

"Hermione I-" Started Fred, only to be interrupted by footsteps.

"There you are! You've been gone for about half an hour, what's holding you up?" Asked the identical boy who was walking up to them.

"George, we lost track of time and Filch came around." Said Fred, not wanting to look at George in the eye.

George stared at the teens in front of him, not understanding why they looked so flushed. He made a mental note to quiz his brother about it later.

"Well, let's get a move on. Finnigan and I made a bet on who's to throw up first and I'm not letting him sabotage my competitor." He said before dragging them both out of the castle.


	11. Chapter 11

The warm spring air rustled the trees surrounding the group of teenagers, taking their laughs along with the breeze.

It hadn't been long since Fred and Hermione had joined the group, both red in the face and abnormally quiet.

"C'mon Mione, can you please take this shot with me? You never drink." Moaned Ron, pouting his lower lip as he held two small glasses filled to the brim with fire whiskey.

"Ron, you know I _hate_ fire whiskey." She said, already feeling her stomach churn.

"You can wash it down with some butter beer! No excuses now, Granger." Cheered Seamus, handing her an unopened bottle of butter beer.

Sighing, Hermione took the shot with Ron. It burned her throat and she could feel how it warmed her up, not liking the way it made her stomach feel hot. She swished her mouth with some butter beer, enjoying the sweetness of it.

"Hermione! I've been looking all over for you, why did you take so long?" Exclaimed Ginny as she walked over with Dean.

"Yeah, you took _ages_! Did Filch catch you or somethin'?" Asked Ron, slouching a lazy arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulling her close.

"No! Um, we got... lost." She mumbled, feeling uncomfortably warm.

"Lost? How dumb do you have to be? We've been in the castle since 11!" Laughed Seamus, accidentally spilling some of his butter beer.

"Yeah, Fred. How dumb do you have to be?" Asked Ron, joining in to tease his brother.

Fred jaw visibly clenched. Being called dumb by Seamus Finnigan wasn't much of an insult, but Ron had a way to really hit his nerves.

"We got side tracked, that's all. Didn't we, Hermione?" Said Fred, throwing an arm around Hermione's shoulder as he stared down his little brother.

"Oh, what were you doing?" Asked Ginny, actually intrigued by what they were up to.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know, dear sister." Teased George, resting his elbow on her ginger head.

Hermione took this chance to shake Fred's arm off her shoulders, not liking the way it rested on her hot neck. Fred looked down at her, a cocky smirk across his face, but Hermione simply looked away.

Fred ran his tongue over his teeth, irritated at the way the girl was acting towards him.

"How would you know what they were up to if you were down here the whole time?" Asked Harry

"Oh, I have my ways." Grinned George, his eyes darting between the couple in front of them.

"Well, share them." Pressed Ginny, curious about the tensions between the teens.

"That's something for Freddie, Hermione, and I to know and for you to stop asking, dear sister." Said George, tapping Ginny's nose while sending a wink over to Hermione.

 _Merlin,_ I _should've just stayed back_ , thought Hermione.

* * *

"Truth or dare, Ginny?" Asked Seamus as they all sat on the soft grass, forming a closed circle.

"Dare!" She answered, raising her hands above her head.

"I dare you to let Fred and George hex you!" Said Seamus as he laughed loudly.

Ginny's expression changed from happy to scared, shaking her head.

"Oh absolutely not!" She exclaimed as she took a big swig of her butter beer.

Everyone laughed, their cheeks red from the warm night and their drinks resting infront of them.

"Right, George your turn. Choose someone." Said Lavender.

"Ah, well let's see... Hermione, truth or dare?" Asked George

Hermione's stomach lurched, she knew that the twin had to be up to no good. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Truth"

"When was the last time you had came, as in an _orgasm_?" He asked, the corners of his mouth curving upwards.

Everyone in the group giggled, covering their mouths as Hermione's cheeks burned. She knew she couldn't lie, she had seen the twins pour a truth potion into everyone's drink before they had started the game.

She cleared her throat, "Sorry, I meant dare."

"I dare you to answer my question then!" Laughed George.

She could feel everyone's eyes, all of them waiting for her to answer as she nervously bit her lip.

"C'mon Mione. You can drink if you don't want to answer." Said Ginny, bumping her shoulder against her nervous friend.

"Ah, since we all are simply _dying_ to know the answer, you'll have to finish your bottle to get out of this one." Said George, eyeing her bottle of butterbeer which had only a few sips missing.

Hermione glared at him. She finally dared to move her eyes on to the twin she had been avoiding only to find him staring right back at her. He sat with his legs crossed as his upperbody leaned on his left hand. His right hand was clutching a bottle of firewhiskey as he brought it up to his mouth and took a swig from it. His lips wet from the sweet drink, Hermione had to stop herself from thinking about how they would taste against hers.

"We don't have all night woman! When was the last time you've creamed yerself, for Merlin's sake." Exclaimed Seamus, causing Hermione to look away from the boy.

She forced a laugh, and raised her bottle before bringing it to her lips and forcing herself to down it. It became sickening to gulp everything down, feeling her stomach filling up with the liquid.

The Gryffindor's around her cheered, laughing with her and clapping. She wasn't much of a chugger, hating the way her stomach felt after all the liquid had settled and bubbled. She had gone past the giggly, tipsy stage of her drinking but knew to start holding back if she didn't want to nurse a hangover tomorrow.

"D'you reckon the professors get it on with eachother?" Asked Seamus once the group had riled down, causing everyone to wrinkle their nose in disgust.

"Can you image Snape necking on with Professor McGonagall?" Joined Ginny, hiding her giggle behind her bottle of butterbeer.

"Oh please, we all know Professor Sprout is the one snogging Snape." Laughed Fred, causing everyone to snicker.

The thought of Snape ever touching any one without the means to smack them across the head was impossible for Hermione to imagine, not understanding why anyone would subject themselves to a night with the greasy man.

"Oh! Enough with the professors already, let's get on to what we _really_ want to know. Who would we get it on with? Out of everyone in this group and the castle?" Asked Dean, clearly having too much to drink by the way he leaned his head on Neville's shoulder and giggled to himself.

"Oh, easy! Cedric is definetly on my list." Exclaimed Lavender, sighing dreamily at the naughty images that flashed in her head of the Hufflepuff boy.

"He's on _everyone's_ list Lavender, specially after the whole sex list came out. It really made me look at Malfoy in a different way." Smirked Ginny, bumping her shoulder with the Gryffindor girl next to her.

Hermione tried to ignore how the corners of Harry's mouth pointed downward as his eyebrows knitted together.

"I'm about 98% sure I'd shag at least half of Hogwarts." Commented Seamus, nodding at himself as he rubbed his chin.

"Seamus, that's like... all the girls, innit?" Asked Lavender.

"Oh, I'm not talking about just girls. I'd shag about 25% of the girls here I guess." He answered nonchalantly, not noticing Neville patting Dean's back after he choked on his drink.

"I'd defintely shag 6th years up, below that it's just a little weird I reckon," said George. "What about you, Freddie?"

Hermione's hands began to sweat as everyone waited for Fred's answer. She didn't know what to expect, or even know what she wanted to hear. Did she want him to mention her?

"Definetly 6th years up." He replied, not bothering to look up from the grass he was playing with.

Hermione's stomach twisted, not knowing how she felt with his answer. Did this mean he wouldn't ever think about shagging her? Why was she even wondering that in the first place?

"Actually, I take that back"

Her eyes snapped over to the boy infront of her who had finally stopped ripping out the green grass and instead looked over at her direction.

"I'd shag 6th years up and one person in particular." He added, making everyone holler.

"Go on, Fred! Who is it?" Asked Ginny, not giving a damn that it was her brother's sex life she was interested in, received chuckles from everyone.

"Well, Hermione of course"

 _What. The. Fuck_.


	12. Chapter 12

"When were you going to tell me you've _dry humped_ my _brother_?!" Asked Ginny, covering her mouth as she squealed and jumped up and down.

Hermione's eyes widened, shushing her best friend as she looked around the empty common room.

Tuesday nights were always roudy in the Gryffindor common room; Seamus would be talking about another awry experiment while Dean listens closely, Ron would be begging Hermione to help him with yet another potions homework, the twins would be selling more of their mischevious gadgets. However, after having Professor McGonagall assign everyone projects and Snape taking 50 points away from Gryffindor, everyone was locked away in their dormitories.

"You're being too loud, Ginny!"

"Oh please, like you weren't being too loud while you were _dry hu_ -" Hermione threw a pillow at her, causing both girls to giggle in front of the fireplace which hadn't been on for a few weeks due to the sickly hot weather.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Complained Ginny, chewing on some nougat chunks

"Well, I couldn't tell you _right away_ , not in front of everyone! This is the only time we've actually had alone."

"I just can't believe it... And what he said about shagging you? Oh Merlin, I thought I was having a weird dream and didn't hear him well!" Joked Ginny, causing her friend to laugh quietly as they remembered what had happened a couple of nights ago.

* * *

"Well, Hermione of course."

The moment those 4 words had spilled out of Fred's smirking mouth, Hermione thanked Ron's awful retching. His loud gags were all everyone could hear before everyone reacted differently. Seamus laughed loudly at Ron while Harry and Neville rubbed his back. Most of the girls covered their mouth as they avoided joining the redhead in coughing up their stomach contents. Everyone's attention was focused on the drunken boy, except for 4 teens.

Hermione's cheeks were burning, her stomach doing somersaults. Had she heard Fred right? At least she knew no one has heard Fred, at least no one else except his twin and his sister.

* * *

"I just can't believe it... I mean, I thought you two would definetly have something going on, but then that whole Katie thing happened and I really though there was no chance. I've got to admit it, I'm actually really rooting for you both. Can you imagine? My best friend and my brother, together!" Giggled Ginny.

"Hold on, Ginny. I never said anything about actually being together with Fred! I mean, it's Fred." Said Hermione, her eyebrows furrowing.

"So, you don't have any feelings for him then? Because I am all for you shagging all the boys you want."

Hermione chuckled at the ginger in front of her, not doubting her for a second.

"It's just... I thought I did, you know? But then Katie happened, and it made me snap out of it. Fred is funny, nice, and just _so_ fit. And so, _so_ good at _things_ , you know. But he's also your brother and he's probably slept with most girls here. I don't see him as the type to stay with one girl, especially with someone like me." Explained Hermione, stretching her legs infront of her as she picked at the bottoms of her pijama shorts. "And I am all for people expressing themselves and being free to do whatever they want with their bodies, but the fact that Fred has shagged so many girls here that he's been voted number 1 out of all the boys here... I don't know how I feel about it. Plus, I don't like being played around like that. He knew I'd be embarassed when he said that, and I've asked him plenty of times to leave me out of his stupid pranks."

"First off, when you say someone like you do mean a girl who is fit as fuck and probably the best girl out there for anyone?" Argued Ginny, "Mione, you're honestly one of the most imporant people in my life. I consider you to be my family, so take it seriously when I say that I would easily fall in love with you if I were into girls."

Hermione giggled, covering her mouth so she wouldn't make too much noise.

"You know, dear sister, sometimes I wonder if you really are as straight as you say."

Ginny and Hermione gasped as the voice spoke behind them. Hermione didn't have to turn around to who's it was, so she remained still with her gaze on the floor.

"You're interrupting prime girl talk, you know." Said Ginny, crossing her arms at her older brother.

"I can see that, I was just on my way to the kitchens. Fancy a treacle tart?" He asked and Ginny's mouth curled into a smile.

"Of course I do, you wanker." She chuckled at him.

"Hermione?"

Hermione turned her head slowly, not wanting to face him. She knew there was a big chance he had heard their conversation and all the things she said about him.

"Yeah, Fred?" She asked, her voice coming out as a whisper.

His messy hair had confirmed that he had just rolled out of bed. The top three buttons of his night shirt were unbuttoned, most likely because of the heat.

"Would you like one? A treacle tart?" He asked, his voice smooth and gentle.

His eyes looked tired, as if he had to fight the sleep in order to get a snack. His face was soft, no sign of his signature smirk and a cheeky shine in his eyes. If Hermione didn't know him, she'd think Fred was probably one of the most gentle boys she'd ever met.

"Yes, please." She answered, smiling softly at him and watched his figure sneak out the portrait door.

Once he left, Ginny sat back down next to her.

"Was it just me, or did you guys telepathically snog while I was watching?" Asked Ginny, making both of them laugh again.

"Don't be daft." Giggled Hermione.

"I'm serious! You guys were just like, staring at each other. I was debating whether I should go upstairs just to give you two some alone time" She joked.

Hermione rest her head on Ginny's shoulder, sighing as she hugged her friend's arm.

"Ginny, being serious, does this bother you? The whole Fred and I situation? Because if it does, you know I would never even look at Fred ever again. I mean, it's not like it's going anywhere." She said and she felt Ginny chuckle next to her.

"Hermione, I know it might be too soon for me to even say this, but I honestly think you and Fred might just be made for one another."

They both sat in silence, resting their tired heads on each other. The room was so silent, the only thing Hermione could hear was Ginny's heavy breathing which let her know that her friend had fallen asleep. Hermione's eyelids began to feel heavy, slowly closing as sleep took over.

She could hear the faint sound of the portait door opening, and the quiet footsteps of the boy sneaking in.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the boy kneeling down with a basket of tarts in his arms.

"Did you raid the kitchen, Fred?" She giggled as she whispered, not wanting to wake her friend.

Fred smiled softly, "Dobby put a charm on them and gave me enough for a week, said he doesn't want any of Harry's friends getting hungry."

He handed Hermione a small, individual tart before biting into one himself.

They both ate quietly, sitting across each other with their legs stretched out. Hermione didn't want to ask him about what he had heard earlier, primarily because she knew he had probably heard all of it, and also because she didn't feel like breaking the comfortable silence between them.

Looking at each other, they both held eye contact. It wasn't an instrusive, sexual type of eye contact like the one they've been having recently. Instead, it made them feel calm, as if they were both just assuring one another that they were okay, the silence is okay. It made Hermione's stomach twist, especially after she knew he had heard the things she said about him.

After a couple of minutes, Fred took another tart and wrapped it in a napkin.

"Can you give that to Ginny once she wakes? She'll hex me tomorrow if she finds out I didn't give her any." He whispered as Hermione giggled.

"I will. Thanks."

He stood up and stretched before picking up the basket.

"Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Fred."

* * *

Wednesday morning was Ron's second favourite morning, Saturday mornings being the first. He would only have 2 lessons in which he would sit next to Harry and not have to look at Snape's greasy hair every time he stalked around the dungeon.

Wednesday mornings reminded Ron of eggs and sausages, some buttered toast on the side slathered with baked beans (which Hermione though was disgusting compared to her toast with lightly smeared raspberry jam).

However, this particular Wednesday morning was absolute hell for Ronald Weasley.

"So you're telling me you've already studied for exams?!" Exclaimed Ron, not believing Hermione when she had asked him if he had been keeping up with his lessons. "Bloody hell Hermione, you could've given us a heads up! We've got... 5 days to study!"

"Believe it or not, Ronald, I'm _not_ your calendar nor am I your mother." She sighed, sipping her english breakfast tea as she sat across the red-faced redhead. "Besides, it _is_ nearly the end of fourth year. Did you somehow forget exams always take place at the end of the year?"

Ron's nostrils flared as he sipped his pumpkin juice. "You'll help us though, right?"

"You keep saying _us_ , who are you even referring to?"

"Harry, of course! Who else would I be talking about?" Ron looked at Hermione like she had lost her mind, who on earth would forget about their best friend.

Hermione gave him a dirty look, "Harry isn't taking the exams, remember? I've only mentioned it about a dozen times, Ron."

"Right, because of the tournament."

The mood has changed, both of their faces had paled as their eyes glued themselves on the wooden table.

"Has Harry said anything to you? About... you know." Whispered Hermione.

Ron shook his head, "He's been avoiding the topic, which I don't blame him for."

The memories of having Harry and Cedric appear in front of them, both clutching the TriWizard cup for their lives. It had been a miracle they had made it.

"Maybe... Maybe we could talk to Cedric? See how he's feeling?" Asked Hermione, not knowing how to comfort the two "champions" who had been face to face to the wizard who was feared the most.

"Sounds like a good idea. I reckon you should talk to him though, I'll go back to the dormitory before lessons start and see how Harry's doing." Agreed Ron before he stood up and left to go check on his friend.

Hermione's eyes scanned the hall for Cedric, he was quite easy to spot. Tall, pale, handsome. She spotted him leaving the hall and sped walked after him, not wanting to look like she was chasing after _the_ Cedric Diggory.

"Cedric!" She called out when she was closer to him, watching his broad back stop and turn.

"Hermione. How are you?" He asked, giving his a small smile. "Are you ready for your exams?"

She smiled at him, he was always a kind boy.

"Well, you know me. I've been ready for about 2 months now." She said, causing Cedric to chuckle lightly at her. "I wanted to ask... I just don't know if you'd be okay with me asking, but I wanted to ask you how you're doing? How you're _actually_ doing."

Cedric's jaw visibly clenched as his eyes scanned the hallway, his mouth setting in a line.

"I don't think this is something to talk about here. Maybe another time, Granger." He said as he began to walk away.

"Cedric, wait! Please." She begged. "I know it's hard to talk about, but Harry needs someone. Ron and I want to help, but we don't know how."

Cedric paused once more. "Okay. But not today. Meet me tomorrow morning at the quidditch field. Early."

Before Hermione could say anything, he turned back around and walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione was counting the hours for Thursday morning. She had more than 12 hours to go, but maybe counting them would make them go by faster.

"You've been so quiet today. I'm still waiting for you to spill on _important_ details." Said Ginny, shoving another forkful of steak and kidney pie in her mouth. "Maybe we can sit in bed after, place a silencing charm on the bed."

Hermione smiled at her. "Why are you so eager on hearing about your _brother_ , someone who practically helped raise you, and his extra curricular activities?"

"Who's extracurricular activities?" Asked Ron, giving Hermione a good look at the dinner being currently chewed in his mouth.

Hermione scrunched up her face in disgust. "Talk _after_ you've swallowed, Ron."

He shrugged as he swallowed.

"Who are you talking about anyway?" Asked Harry, repeatedly stabbing his fork in his mashed potatoes.

"Fred's extracurricular activities." Answered Ginny, ignoring Hermione's pleading look to keep her mouth shut.

"It's quidditch, isn't it?" Asked Ron, confused at why the girls would be talking about a sport Hermione never seemed to care about.

"Yes, Ron. It's quidditch. And I love quidditch, and Hermione loves me, therefore she loves quidditch." Said Ginny, matter of factly.

Hermione laughed at her friend, amused at her bickering with her brother. Her eyes peered at Harry, expecting him to be laughing along with her, but instead saw him staring at the table intently.

She wished she could help him, comfort him. No one could ever understand what Harry and Cedric had seen that night, and she knew better than to pretend she could comprehend what was going on through his head.

While she stared at her friend, a flash of yellow robes appeared on her peripheral view.

"I'm going to head up early, I'll see you guys later." Said Hermione before she hurried out of the hall.

"Cedric!" She called out.

"This is feeling a bit deja vu, don't you think?" He teased as he turned around, knowing exactly who was calling after him.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to talk to you." She said as she caught her breath after chasing him down the hall.

Cedric sighed. "I thought we had agreed to talk tomorrow. I'm tired and I've been thinking about jumping in bed all day. Can we please just leave it?"

She shook her head. "I'm really sorry Cedric, but I can't stand watching my friend suffer. Harry needs his friends, therefore I need to understand what happened that night through your eyes."

"Would you please just leave me alone for today? Please." He begged before turning away.

"Ouch, that was harsh."

Hermione sighed as she turned to face the redhead behind her.

"Not now Fred." She muttered as she walked past him on her way to the common room.

"I was just kidding. What were you and Diggory talking about anyway?" He asked, joining her step as they walked in unison.

She rolled her eyes, Weasley's really liked knowing everything. "It's a private matter."

"Ah I see. You've had a taste of the first so know your jumping around the other top 10?"

Hermione scoffed, not in the mood to put up with his banter tonight. She rolled her eyes and began walking faster, leaving him behind.

"Oh c'mon. You don't get to ignore me, I made you cum." Hermione could hear the smirk in his voice as she froze in place.

Her cheeks burned madly as her eyes darted around, making sure no one had heard what Fred has just nonchalantly announced.

"What is _wrong_ with you, Frederick Weasley?! For Merlin's sake!" She whispered, walking back to him and smacking his forearm.

He laughed at her, waving her hand away. "Relax, Granger. You take me too seriously."

"That's because you joke about things people don't usually joke about." She muttered, her jaw clenching in frustration. "Also, stop talking about it. We are never to talk about it. It _never_ happened."

"Never?" He asked.

"Never."

* * *

"I want to gag but at the same time want to scream. I can't believe he said that after making you have your _first_ orgasm!" Squealed Ginny

"Oh please, gag away." Joked Hermione.

"Like, gross because that's my brother and it's also very cringe. But at the same time, you could have so jumped him then and there."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Gross, Ginny. I'm regretting telling you the rest of the story."

"We agreed to never talk about it anyway, and to pretend like it never happened." She continued.

"Do you really think Fred won't keep making jokes about it?" Asked Ginny. "Once he promised he'd stop making jokes about a poem I wrote and next thing you know, it was written in bright orange paint right outside my bedroom. It was the most embarrassing thing, it took weeks for them to stop mentioning pickled toads."

Hermione laughed. "Pickled toads? Christ, what time of poem was it?"

"I will never tell, because it never happened. Just like you and Fred."

Hermione rolled her eyes and lay down, settling her head on her pillow.

"Why did you chase Cedric Diggory earlier?" Asked Ginny.

"I didn't know you noticed." Hermione swallowed. "I've been worried about Harry lately. He comes out with us and joins in on the fun, but he's not really _there_."

"He doesn't talk as much as he used to." Nodded Ginny. "And his smile hasn't quite reached his eyes, have you noticed?"

Hermione nodded. "I'm trying to get Cedric to tell me what happened the night at the graveyard. I think maybe if I can understand how he felt, then we could understand Harry a little better."

"I think it could work." Said Ginny. "But we also have to remember that Harry has lived with it way before any of us knew who _He_ was. Cedric's experience is only a fraction of what Harry is going through. Every year, without fail, _He_ manages to seek him out."

Hermione reached over to hold Ginny's hand. "How did it feel like? For you?"

Ginny's jaw clenched as she took a deep breath. "Terrifying. He forced his way into my mind. It's like I could see him, sense him, but he wasn't truly there. I could hear his voice and this cold, heavy darkness over me. Every time he spoke to me, I was so scared, Hermione."

Hermione held Ginny's hand tighter, holding it up against her chest.

"Then, when Harry saved me, I realized it. Harry has been feeling this for years. We both first experienced it in our first year, but I had the luck to never have to feel that way again while he goes through it every year."

"What can I do, Ginny?" Asked Hermione. "What can I do to help him?"

Ginny looked at her with teary eyes. "Be his light."

* * *

6 A.M and Hermione was already dressed and on her way to the quidditch field. The sun was already rising, warming the field with it's bright rays.

Hermione sat on the field, neatly folding her skirt down over her pale knees. Looking around, she saw no sign of the Hufflepuff boy she had been waiting for.

 _Have I come too early? Maybe he meant right before breakfast_ , she thought as she sighed.

15 minutes had passed before she had made her mind up and stood up, fixing her knee socks as they slid down her calfs. Perhaps Cedric had backed out on their meeting, or Hermione had come out too early.

"I guess I'll just chase him down halls again." She muttered to herself as she walked off the warm grass.

As she walked past the changing rooms, she noticed yellow robes hanging on a bench. She looked around for the owner of the robes, eventually finding him laying on a bench on the far end of the corridor.

"You're late." He pointed out as she walked towards her.

"I would've found you earlier if you weren't out here hiding in the shadows. I was waiting on the field." She pointed out. "Why are you here anyways? It's a lovely morning. Are you a vampire or something? Lurking in the dark."

Cedric chuckled at Hermione's teasing, a smile spreading across his sharp face.

"I was taking a nap. You've kept me waiting." He answered, stretching his arms over his head as he pulled himself off the wooden bench.

"Kept you waiting? It's only 6:20, excuse you." Said Hermione as she pointed her nose in the air and placed her hands on her hips, she hated being told she was late.

"I've been here since 4."

She looked at him incredulosly. "4 A.M? What on earth were you doing up and about at that time?"

He shrugged, sliding his robe back on. "I can't sleep."

Hermione's face dropped slowly, her arms falling limp on her sides. She knew too well what he had been going through at night, she had seen it happen with Harry multiple times.

"Lets go sit on the grass, a little sun will do us good. We're awfully pale, we might actually blind someone." She joked, patting the boy on the shoulder and walking out to the sun.

As they sat, Cedric wasted no time in small talk.

"Before we begin, can I ask you a question?" He asked and she nodded, picking at the grass below her. "Why are you so obsessed with it? I know, Harry is your best friend and you love him and all, but why can't you just be there for him without having to know the whole story?"

"Honestly, Cedric, I don't know. Part of me thinks it could help me understand Harry better, that way I don't have to ask what he needs. Another part of me thinks that maybe..." She paused, swallowing thickly. "I will always be by Harry's side, even when the toughest times are upon us. And I think we both know that times are about to get even tougher for him. Eventually, Harry will have to face him again, and I plan to be there, wand ready and at his side. Part of me feels that if I know how _He_ made you feel, maybe it could prepare me for the future when I have to face him."

Cedric nodded slowly, his eyes glued to his hands.

"Have you ever seen a car accident?" He asked.

Hermione furrowed her brows, not used to wizards talking about cars.

"As in a car crash?" She asked. "Yeah."

"A car crash where you _know_ the people in that car died. It collided with the wall _so hard_ that there's absolutely no way a body could survive that much impact. And then you catch a glimpse of their bodies, all lifeless and damaged. You want to look away, but you just _can't_." He continued.

Hermione nodded, not understanding why Cedric felt the need to bring up such a scenario.

" _That_ is how it feels like. Looking at Him felt like seeing dead, bloody bodies and being unable to look away. Everything about Him felt like death. His laugh, his smile, his eyes. He made me feel like I was going to _die_." Cedric's voice broke, both his hands balling up into fists.

Hermione fought the urge to reach over and hold his hand.

"And I _should_ have. He was going to kill me, Hermione. I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't have made it back to my father that night, if it weren't for Harry." He said, finally looking into Hermione's eyes. "He had Harry trapped, and I couldn't even do anything about it. I just _stood_ there, like a pathetic child, while the wizard who murdered Harry's parents taunted him."

"There was nothing you could do, Cedric. He's one of the most powerful wizards in history, there was no way a 17 year old boy could ever stand against him." Said Hermione gently, comforting him.

"He said the words, you know." He said, pressing his lips into a thin line. "I've never heard a wizard say them the way he did, like he _meant_ it. He _wanted_ to kill me. Avada kedavra and I was supposed to be dead."

Hermione winced at the name of the spell, remembering how she felt after Barty Crouch has perfomed it in class disguised at Professor Moody.

"I didn't even notice when Harry broke free. He was so quick, I don't think anyone there expected it. He had me in one arm and the cup in the other before _He_ could even finish saying his words. I blinked and there we were, infront of all of you, barely escaping death." He continued. "I couldn't even move, and a boy who is younger than me managed to overcome his fear and save the lives around him. I owe Harry my life and more."

Hermione finally reached over, firmly holding his hand.

"Your reaction is the same way I would have reacted, Cedric. You are a powerful wizard, but we're only students. There was nothing you or Harry could've done apart from escape." She said and Cedric nodded.

"Cho has been saying the same." He commented. "She's trying to do the same as you, you know. Understand what happened to know how to be there for me."

"She's a smart girl." Said Hermione, making Cedric smile.

"I don't know how you can help Harry, but maybe start with just being there with him. When I can't sleep, I sneak out to come here. Maybe keep an eye out at night, he may be taking a walk out someplace else. If you find him, just be with him. You don't have to talk or anything. Sometimes, Cho finds me here and just sits with me. It gets my mind off things, you know, knowing that she's there with me." Said Cedric.

Hermione smiled at him. "Thank you."

They both stood up, shaking some grass off their clothes before walking back to the castle. Hermione noticed Cedric stopped walking, causing her to turn her head.

"Are you not coming for breakfast?" She asked.

"Go on ahead, I think I'll go wait for Cho outside Ravenclaw. She quite likes it when we walk to breakfast together." He said, causing her to smile and waved her goodbye.

Hermione guessed it must have been around 7 A.M due to the increase in students walking around the castle. She had a light skip in her step, happy to finally have a talk with Cedric. Maybe Cedric was right, all she could do was just show Harry that she was there for him, always.

Thoughts of earl grey and pancakes filled her mind as she walked over to the great hall.

"Have a nice chat there with Diggory, did you?"

Hermione turned her head to see the tall Weasley looking at her, the corners of his lips turned slightly downwards and his arms crossed over his chest.


End file.
